Mounting protection device for door seals

Abstract

Mounting protection device (10) for door seals (21) on vehicles for mounting sill plates (31), comprising a protective body (15) designed to cover a section of a door seal (21) to be protected, at least one fastening section (12) designed to fasten the mounting protection device (10) to the door seal (21) in such a way that the protective body (15) covers the section of the door seal (21) to be protected, wherein the fastening section (12) is designed to fasten the mounting protection device (10) to the door seal (21) at least in one spatial direction by means of a positive locking mechanism, and the fastening section is designed as a fold which extends along an edge (11) of the protective body (15) over its entire length, and is designed to be inserted into a corresponding recess (24) of the door seal (21) and to create the positive fit between the mounting protection device (10) and the door seal (21), and wherein the mounting protection device (10) further comprises a handle (13), wherein the handle (13) is rigidly connected to the protective body (15) via a handle bracket and is arranged by the handle bracket at a defined distance from the protective surface (15) and / or at a defined distance from the edge (11) of the protective body (15) such that when force is applied, a leverage effect is created to lift the door seal (21).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an assembly protection device for door seals on vehicles in the area of ​​the door sill. The assembly protection device protects the door seal during the assembly of the door sill and the trim panels in the door area. Furthermore, the invention relates to an assembly method for door sills using the assembly protection device according to the invention.

[0002] For temporary protection against damage to paint and sheet metal parts, for example, during assembly or repairs, document DE 86 18 424 U1 discloses a protective cover. This is hung in bodywork seams or similar.

[0003] When installing the door sill trim in the door area, it's easy to damage previously installed components in that area, especially the door seals. This damage is caused by the sharp edges of the door sill trim penetrating the visible surfaces of the softer door seals, causing cuts and scratches on the surface of the door seals.

[0004] To repair this visible damage, it is sometimes necessary to replace the existing door seals, which takes time and, above all, money during vehicle production. Even in other cases where a complete replacement of the door seals is not necessary, at least some surface refinishing is often necessary.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an assembly aid in the form of an assembly protection device for the assembly of door sills, by means of which door seals can be protected, and an improved method for the assembly of door sills.

[0006] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are contained in the subclaims.

[0007] The inventive assembly protection device for door seals on vehicles for installing door sills comprises a protective body designed to cover and thus protect a section of a door seal to be protected during the installation of a door sill. The protective body can have different shapes and is preferably adapted to the shape of the section of the door seal to be protected in order to ensure the best possible protection of the section.

[0008] Furthermore, the assembly protection device according to the invention has at least one fastening section designed to fasten the assembly protection device to the door seal in such a way that the protective body covers the section of the door seal to be protected. The fastening section is further designed such that the assembly protection device remains independently attached to the door seal throughout the entire assembly process.

[0009] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the protective body is designed as a flat body. A flat body means that the cross-sectional height of the protective body is very small compared to the width and length of the body, and thus the dimensions of the protective body are not defined by the cross-sectional height. A flat protective body has the advantage that it takes up less space and weighs less than a tall protective body with the same basic shape. The basic shape is understood to be the geometry of the protective body, which results from the width and length of the body projected onto a plane. The basic shape of the protective body is advantageously based on the dimensions of the section of the door seal to be protected.

[0010] According to the invention, the at least one fastening section (12) is designed to fasten the assembly protection device (10) to the door seal (21) by means of a positive fit. A positive fit represents a generally secure and easy-to-use fastening option, thereby ensuring rapid assembly and disassembly of the assembly protection device.

[0011] Preferably, in one embodiment of the invention, in which the at least one fastening section fastens the installation protection device to the door seal by means of a positive fit, the fastening section is designed as a fold which extends along part of an edge of the protective body. A fold is understood to mean that the edge of the protective body is bent by 180° and thus the fastening section forms a C-profile with the protective body in the immediate vicinity of the edge. The bent edge is therefore understood to be a fold. In this embodiment, the fastening section is designed to be inserted into a corresponding recess in the door seal and, when inserted, to create the positive fit for fastening the installation protection device. The positive fit is thus ensured in the form of a type of plug-in connection.

[0012] According to the invention, the fold extends over the entire length of the edge of the protective body. This design offers the advantage that the door seal can be raised over the entire length of the installation protection device in one movement, allowing the door sill strip to be pushed under the raised part of the door seal, thus facilitating easier installation.

[0013] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which the at least one fastening section fastens the installation protection device to the door seal by means of a positive fit, this at least one fastening section has a protective element made of a soft material and designed to prevent damage to the door seal caused by the positive fit. Padding made of a gel-like, foam-like, or rubber-like material is preferably used as the protective element, which prevents scratches or similar damage caused by contact between the installation protection device and the door seal due to the positive fit.

[0014] Preferably, protective elements are provided at all points where the mounting protection device comes into contact with parts of the vehicle during use.

[0015] In a further embodiment, the at least one fastening section is preferably designed to fasten the installation protection device to the door seal by means of a frictional connection. The frictional connection can be provided alternatively or in addition to a positive connection between the installation protection device and the door seal. Embodiments in which the movement of the installation protection device relative to the door seal in one spatial direction is prevented by a frictional connection and in the other two spatial directions by a positive connection are also advantageous. Removal of the installation protection device from the door seal is therefore only possible by releasing the frictional connection or by removing a spatial limitation that forms at least part of the positive connection.A connection by force locking, like a connection by form locking, represents a simple technical possibility, whereby a secure fastening can be ensured, in particular, by combining both types of connection.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the side of the protective body intended to rest on the section of the door seal to be protected has at least one protective element made of a soft, e.g., gel-like, foam-like, or rubber-like material and designed to prevent damage to the door seal caused by the contact of the protective body. The protective element, which is attached between the protective body and the door seal when the assembly protection device is installed, prevents scratching or other damage to the surface of the door seal.

[0017] According to the invention, the assembly protection device has a handle that is connected to the protective surface via a handle holder and spaced apart from it. The handle can improve the handling of the assembly protection device and simplify assembly and disassembly.

[0018] Furthermore, the handle and the fastening section in the form of a fold across the entire edge of the protective body allow the door seal to be easily lifted along the entire length of the installation protection device by simply moving the handle. This allows the door sill strip to be pushed under the raised part of the door seal, thus making installation easier. The handle further improves the ergonomics of installing the door sill strips, as the installation protection device can also be used as an installation tool. The handle allows the necessary force to lift the door seal to be easily applied. This simplifies and accelerates the installation of the door sill strip.

[0019] The handle is positioned at a fixed distance from the protective body and / or the edge of the protective body, creating a leverage effect and thus a good force transmission for lifting the door seal. The leverage effect, and thus the force transmission, is determined by the distance of the handle from the edge of the protective body and from the protective body.

[0020] Such an embodiment is further advantageous if the handle mount has a reinforcement designed to increase the rigidity of the installation protection device in the area of ​​the handle. This results in less deformation of the installation protection device when lifting the door seal to install the door sill strip.

[0021] The method according to the invention for installing door sills comprises the method step of covering a door seal by means of the installation protection device according to the invention.

[0022] Embodiments and aspects of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures. The figures show in detail: Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the assembly protection device according to the invention in a perspective view Fig. 2 shows the Fig. 1 shown embodiment of the invention in a side view Fig. 3 shows the Fig. 1 shown embodiment of the invention in a mounted state on a vehicle Fig. 4 shows the Fig. 1 shown embodiment of the invention in a mounted state on a vehicle in a detailed view

[0023] Fig. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the mounting protection device 10 according to the invention in a perspective view. It comprises a flat protective body 15 with a straight edge 11, on which a fastening section 12 in the form of a fold is provided. The fold extends over the entire length of the edge 11 and is formed by bending the protective body 15 by 180° at the edge 11.

[0024] The assembly protection device 10 further comprises a handle 13, which is connected to the protective body 15 via a handle holder. In this embodiment, the handle holder consists of two walls arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to the flat protective body 15, which hold the handle 13 between them. Furthermore, a reinforcement 14 is provided to increase the rigidity of the protective body, particularly in the area of ​​the handle 13. This reinforcement is located between the walls of the handle holder.

[0025] The flat protective body 15 has a symmetrical basic shape when viewed from above (from the handle side), which tapers on the side opposite the edge 11. The handle 13 is arranged on the tapered side, thereby placing it at a distance from the edge 11.

[0026] Fig. 2 shows the Fig. 1 shows a side view of a known embodiment of the assembly protection device 10. This particularly shows the fastening section 12, designed as a fold, at the edge 11. The side view shows that the fastening section 12 forms a C-profile with the edge 11. This C-profile also occurs with every cross-section through the assembly protection device 10 transverse to the edge 11.

[0027] Fig. 3 shows the Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the assembly protection device 10 according to the invention in a mounted state on a door seal of a vehicle. The figure shows the assembly step in which a door sill 31 is connected to the door seal. The assembly protection device 10 with the handle 14 is mounted on the door seal, which is inserted into the body 20. More precisely, the assembly protection device 10 is suspended in a frame 22 of the door seal, as shown in Fig. 4 is illustrated.

[0028] Also visible are the vehicle's door sill 31 and the surrounding trim 32 in the interior of the door area. Fig. The section shown in Figure 3 shows the floor paneling in the entry area, which merges into the paneling of the vehicle's A-pillar. In the state shown, the paneling 32 and the door sill strip 31 are not yet connected to the body 20 and the door seal including the frame 22.

[0029] A detailed illustration of the attachment of the assembly protection device 10 to a door seal 20 is shown in Fig. 4 shown. Fig. 4 shows a detailed view of the fastening in the Fig. 3 shown embodiment.

[0030] The door seal 20 has a two-part frame 22, which is to be understood as part of the door seal 20. Between the two parts of the frame 22 is an opening 23, which leads into a recess 24. The fastening section 12 of the mounting protection device 10 projects into this opening 23 in the assembled state, so that the upper part of the frame 22 in the plane of the drawing is encompassed by the fastening section 12 and the protective body 15. The mounting protection device 10 is thus mounted on the door seal 20 by the fastening section 12 being hooked through the opening 23 into the recess 24.

[0031] This creates a positive fit in the vertical direction, so that the mounting protection device 10 cannot be moved vertically or only to a very limited extent when mounted. At the same time, the distance between the fastening section 12 and the protective body 15 is somewhat smaller than the dimensions of the upper frame 22, so that when attaching the protection device, a certain amount of force is required to slightly deform the fastening section 12 and clamp the upper frame 22 between the protective body 15 and the fastening section 12. Thus, a certain amount of resistance must also be overcome when removing the mounting protection device 10.

[0032] This ensures that a certain force connection is created in the horizontal direction, more precisely when the mounting device 10 moves to the left in the plane of the drawing, which ensures a secure fastening of the mounting protection device 10 to the door seal 21 during the installation of the door sill 31.

[0033] In the embodiment shown, the fastening section 12 is suspended over the entire length of the edge 11 into the recess 24 of the door seal 21. During installation of the door sill strip 31, it must also be inserted through the opening 23 of the surround 22 into the recess 24 of the door seal. To facilitate this insertion, with the aid of the illustrated embodiment of the mounting protection device 10 according to the invention, the upper surround 22 can be raised across the entire width of the mounting protection device 10 using the fastening section 12, thus enlarging the opening 23 of the surround 22.

[0034] For this purpose, the mounting protection device 10 can be tilted using the handle 14, so that the upper frame 22 is raised. To achieve a leverage effect for tilting the mounting protection device 10, the handle 14 is arranged on the side opposite the edge 11.

[0035] If the trim 32 and the door sill 31 are connected to the body 20 and the door seal 21 in the manner described above, the assembly protection device 10 protects in particular the area of ​​the door seal 21 which could come into contact with the door sill 31, so that no scratches or damage can occur in the visible area of ​​the door seal 21.

Claims

[1] Mounting protection device (10) for door seals (21) on vehicles for mounting door sills (31), comprising a protective body (15) designed to cover a section of a door seal (21) to be protected, at least one fastening section (12) designed to fasten the assembly protection device (10) to the door seal (21) in such a way that the protective body (15) covers the section of the door seal (21) to be protected, wherein the fastening section (12) is designed to fasten the assembly protection device (10) to the door seal (21) at least in one spatial direction by means of a positive connection, and the fastening section is designed as a fold which extends along an edge (11) of the protective body (15) over its entire length and is designed to be inserted into a corresponding recess (24) of the door seal (21) and to produce the positive connection between the assembly protection device (10) and the door seal (21), and wherein the assembly protection device (10) further comprises a handle (13), wherein the handle (13) is rigidly connected to the protective body (15) via a handle holder and is arranged by the handle holder at a fixed distance from the protective surface (15) and / or at a fixed distance from the edge (11) of the protective body (15) in such a way that a lever effect for lifting the door seal (21) is created when force is applied. [2] Mounting protection device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the protective body (15) is designed as a flat body. [3] Mounting protection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a basic shape of the protective body (15) corresponds to the dimensions and / or the shape of the portion of the door seal (21) to be protected. [4] Mounting protection device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the at least one fastening section (12) is designed as a fold which extends at least along a partial region of an edge (11) of the protective body (15) and is designed to be inserted into a corresponding recess (24) of the door seal (21) and to establish the positive connection between the mounting protection device (10) and the door seal (21). [5] Mounting protection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 4, wherein the at least one fastening section (12) has a protective element which consists of a soft material and is designed to prevent damage to the door seal (21) due to the positive connection. [6] Mounting protection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one fastening section (12) is designed to fasten the mounting protection device (10) to the door seal (21) at least in one spatial direction by means of a frictional connection. [7] Mounting protection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the side of the protective body (15) which is intended to rest on the section of the door seal (21) to be protected has at least one protective element which consists of a soft material and is designed to prevent damage to the door seal (21) by the support of the protective body (15). [8] Mounting protection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle holder has a reinforcement (14) which is designed to increase the rigidity of the mounting protection device (10) in the region of the handle (13). [9] Method for assembling door sills (31) of vehicles, comprising the method step of covering a door seal (21) by means of an assembly protection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

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