Weatherstrip and method for manufacturing weatherstrip

Abstract

This technology can help make it easier to wipe away moisture and deposits from the surface of glass. [Solution] The glasswork has a glasswork engagement surface 20 that slidably engages with the glass G, and the glasswork engagement surface 20 is provided with coating layers 3a and 3b made of at least one type of fiber, including irregularly shaped cross-section fibers. The coating layers 3a and 3b are constructed by providing a woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, flocking, etc. made of the aforementioned fibers to the glasswork engagement surface 20. Alternatively, a woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, flocking, etc. made of the aforementioned fibers is provided to one end face of a film-like substrate, and the film-like substrate is provided on the glasswork engagement surface 20. The thickness of the coating layers 3a and 3b is in the range of 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a weatherstrip and a method for manufacturing a weatherstrip, and relates to a technology applicable to, for example, a weatherstrip (such as a door inside seal, a door outside seal, etc. attached to a vehicle body of an automobile) attached to a vehicle body of an automobile.

Background Art

[0002] For example, an extruded molded body such as a weatherstrip assembled to a vehicle body of an automobile is required to exhibit various characteristics (such as watertightness, airtightness, etc.) necessary for the assembly location.

[0003] For example, in the case of a weatherstrip attached to a door waist and slidably engaging (contacting) with glass, for example, wiping properties for wiping moisture (such as water droplets due to rain or dew) and deposits (such as dirt, sand, dust, particulate matter, etc.) present on the surface (the surface to be wiped) of the glass are also required.

[0004] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, it has been studied to improve the wiping property of deposits by providing a coating layer made of fibers (chemical fibers such as synthetic fibers and recycled fibers) on the surface of the weatherstrip that engages with the glass (hereinafter, simply referred to as the glass-engaging surface as appropriate).

[0005] Specifically, in the case of Patent Document 1, a configuration is disclosed in which a flocked film formed by providing a coating layer (a layer formed by flocking fibers) on the surface of a film-like substrate (such as a heat-weldable polyethylene film, etc.) is welded to the glass-engaging surface. Further, in the case of Patent Document 2, a configuration is disclosed in which a coating layer is provided on the glass-engaging surface by electrostatic flocking of fibers via an adhesive to the glass-engaging surface.

[0006] When a coating layer, such as those shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, comes into contact with a glass surface, a minute gap is formed between the coating layer (including the interior of the coating layer) and the glass surface. As a result, when the coating layer slides across the glass surface, any deposits adhering to the glass surface can be collected and wiped away into the coating layer. The coating layers in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are made up of fibers with a circular or elliptical cross-section. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 54-78781 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-176356 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In the case of coating layers as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if the coating layer is slid across the glass surface, especially when it has collected adhering substances, it becomes difficult to wipe away the moisture present on the glass surface, and there is a risk that residual moisture (for example, streaky marks caused by moisture) will easily occur. For example, if such residual moisture occurs on glass installed in a door waist, it is conceivable that the transparency and visibility of the glass will be reduced.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, and aims to provide a weatherstrip and a method for manufacturing a weatherstrip that can contribute to making it easier to wipe away moisture and deposits present on the surface of glass (the surface to be wiped). [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The weatherstrip and method for manufacturing the weatherstrip according to this invention can contribute to solving the above-mentioned problems. One embodiment of the weatherstrip has a glass-attached engagement surface that slidably engages with glass, and the glass-attached engagement surface is provided with a coating layer made of at least one type of fiber including irregularly shaped cross-section fibers.

[0011] The coating layer may be characterized by having a woven fabric, knitted fabric, or nonwoven fabric made of the aforementioned fibers provided on the glass engagement surface.

[0012] Furthermore, the coating layer may be characterized by having the fibers electrostatically flocked onto the glass engagement surface.

[0013] Furthermore, the coating layer may be characterized in that one end face of the film-like substrate is provided with a woven fabric, knitted fabric, or nonwoven fabric made of the aforementioned fibers, and the other end face of the substrate is provided with the glass-fitting surface.

[0014] Furthermore, the coating layer may be characterized in that the fibers are electrostatically flocked to one end face of a film-like substrate, and the other end face of the substrate is provided on the glass engagement surface.

[0015] Furthermore, the coating layer may be made of either the woven fabric or the knitted fabric, and may be characterized in that the surface of the coating layer has an uneven shape.

[0016] Furthermore, the coating layer may be characterized by having a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

[0017] Furthermore, it is characterized by comprising a mounting base that can be fitted to a door panel, which is part of the body of an automobile, and an elastic part having the glass-receiving engagement surface, the glass-receiving engagement surface being elastic and slidably engaged with the door glass provided on the door panel.

[0018] One aspect of the manufacturing method is the manufacturing method of the weatherstrip, which is characterized in that on the molding line of the weatherstrip, the other end surface of the film-shaped substrate is joined to the glass-engaging surface of the weatherstrip.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to contribute to making it easier to wipe off moisture and deposits present on the surface of the glass.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] Schematic configuration diagram for explaining the weatherstrip W1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Schematic configuration diagram for explaining the weatherstrip W2 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Photograph of the test results of wiping property ((A) is the case of sample S2, (B) is the case of sample S1). [Figure 4] Graph showing the test results of quick drying property, which is the characteristic diagram of the weight change (evaporation amount) of samples S1 and S2 with respect to the elapsed time. [Figure 5] Optical microscope photograph of the test results of mold resistance (magnification: 30 times. (A) is the case of sample S2, (B) is the case of sample S1).

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] The weatherstrip and the manufacturing method of the weatherstrip according to the embodiment of the present invention are completely different from the mode in which a coating layer made of fibers having a circular cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, etc. (hereinafter, simply referred to as circular cross-section fibers as appropriate) is provided as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.

[0022] That is, this embodiment is characterized in that a coating layer made of one or more types of fibers including at least profiled cross-section fibers is provided on the glass-engaging surface. The coating layer made of these profiled cross-section fibers is likely to obtain water absorption, quick drying property, etc. due to the capillary phenomenon that can be exhibited by the profiled cross-section fibers.

[0023] When such a coating layer is slid across a glass surface (the surface to be wiped), if there are any deposits on the glass surface, for example, the deposits can be wiped away in a way that they are collected within the coating layer. Furthermore, if there is moisture on the glass surface, the moisture can be absorbed into the coating layer during the wiping process.

[0024] As described above, by capturing deposits within the coating layer, it is possible to prevent these deposits from rubbing against the glass surface, thereby contributing to the protection of the glass surface. Furthermore, even if the coating layer is capturing deposits, it is possible to wipe away moisture from the glass surface while absorbing it, thus preventing any remaining moisture from being wiped away. In addition, the moisture absorbed within the coating layer does not remain stagnant within the coating layer (for example, not stagnating locally at the point of absorption) but diffuses easily, allowing it to evaporate easily from the coating layer.

[0025] For example, the coating layer on conventional weatherstrips is primarily intended to wipe away any deposits on the glass surface, and absorbing and wiping away moisture was hardly considered. Rather, in the case of weatherstrips located on the interior side of automobiles (for example, door inside seals attached to the door waist), there has been a tendency to use coating layers made of simple circular cross-section fibers, due to concerns about mold growth caused by moisture absorption.

[0026] On the other hand, even if the coating layer of this embodiment is slid across the glass surface to absorb moisture, the absorbed moisture diffuses within the coating layer and easily evaporates, thus effectively suppressing the growth of mold and other issues as described above.

[0027] The weatherstrip and weatherstrip manufacturing method of this embodiment may be any configuration in which a coating layer made of irregularly shaped cross-section fibers is provided, as described above, and various design modifications are possible. That is, it is possible to appropriately apply common technical knowledge from various fields (e.g., the field of extrusion molding, the field of weatherstrips, the field of chemical fibers, etc.) and modify the design as needed by referring to prior art documents, etc.

[0028] In the following embodiments, detailed explanations and diagrammatic depictions are appropriately omitted, for example, by referring to the same reference numerals and terms for similar content.

[0029] Examples The extruded weatherstrip or the like in this embodiment is a molded body formed by extruding a composition (thermoplastic elastomer composition, vinyl chloride resin composition, rubber composition, etc.; hereinafter simply referred to as a blended composition) which is appropriately blended with various components such as resin material and rubber material, into a shape suitable for the purpose, and a part of the molded body has a glass-fitting surface, and a coating layer is provided on the glass-fitting surface, and various embodiments can be cited.

[0030] As an example, in the case of extruded molded products assembled to the body of an automobile, weatherstrips such as inside seals, outside seals, and belt moldings are installed in the door waist opening (the opening where a retractable door glass is installed) of the door panel.

[0031] Furthermore, in the compounded composition, instead of simply applying one type, two or more types may be applied as appropriate. For example, when applying a compounded composition for forming a part where relatively high strength is required (e.g., the mounting bases 1 and 4 described later) (e.g., a relatively hard resin material composition such as polypropylene) and a compounded composition for forming a part where relatively high elasticity is required (e.g., the seal lip parts 2a, 2b, 5a, and 5b described later) (e.g., a relatively soft olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer composition), one option is to simultaneously extrude the two types of compounded compositions.

[0032] <An example of an extruded product> The weatherstrip W1 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a configuration that can be installed on the interior side of the door waist opening (not shown).

[0033] This weatherstrip W1 mainly comprises a mounting base 1 that can be fitted into the door waist opening, and upper and lower sealing lip portions (elastic portions) 2a and 2b that elastically and slidably engage with the retractable door glass G (indoor surface G1) in the door waist opening.

[0034] In the case of the mounting base 1 shown in Figure 1, the radial cross-sectional shape is formed in a deformed U-shape, and it is configured to be detachably fitted and attached to the door inner panel and reinforcement (not shown).

[0035] Furthermore, a support portion 12 for supporting the seal lip portions (elastic portions) 2a and 2b is integrally formed in the central part of one side wall portion 11 located on the door glass G side of the mounting base portion 1. This support portion 12 has a support base portion 12a that protrudes from the central part of the side wall portion 11 toward the door glass G side, and an extension base portion 12b that extends vertically from the tip of the support base portion 12a.

[0036] Multiple fine retaining lips 13 and bead portions 14 are appropriately formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting base 1, taking into consideration ease of attachment and detachment, as well as fit and retention to the door inner panel and reinforcement. In addition, a bead portion 15 is appropriately formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mounting base 1 at a position facing the door trim (not shown).

[0037] The seal lip portions 2a and 2b are integrally formed so as to extend diagonally upward toward the door glass G at both ends in the extending direction of the extension base portion 12b. In the case of the seal lip portions 2a and 2b in Figure 1, the root side (extension base portion 12b side) is thin-walled and is shaped to bend and deform with the root side as a fulcrum. Each of the seal lip portions 2a and 2b is provided with a coating layer (fiber layer) 3a made of fibers on the glass engagement surface 20, which is the part that engages with the door glass G.

[0038] <Other examples of extruded products> The weatherstrip W2 shown in Figure 2 has a similar configuration to the weatherstrip W1 and illustrates an example of a configuration that can be installed on the exterior side of the door waist opening.

[0039] This weatherstrip W2 mainly comprises a mounting base 4 that can be fitted into the door waist opening, and upper and lower sealing lip portions (elastic portions) 5a and 5b that elastically and slidably engage with the door glass G (outer surface G2).

[0040] In the case of the mounting base 4 shown in Figure 2, the radial cross-sectional shape is formed in a deformed U-shape, and it is configured to be detachably fitted and attached to the door outer panel and reinforcement (not shown). In addition, a reinforcing core material 4a is embedded inside the mounting base 4.

[0041] The sealing lip portions 5a and 5b are supported on one side wall portion 41 of the mounting base 4 located on the door glass G side. Multiple fine retaining lips 42 and bead portions 43 are appropriately formed on the inner circumferential surface of the mounting base 1, taking into consideration ease of attachment and detachment and fitting retention with respect to the door outer panel and reinforcement.

[0042] The seal lip portions 5a and 5b are integrally formed so as to extend diagonally upward toward the door glass G at both ends in the extending direction of the side wall portion 41. In the case of the seal lip portions 5a and 5b in Figure 2, similar to the seal lip portions 2a and 2b in Figure 1, the base side (side wall portion 41 side) is thin-walled, and the shape is such that it can bend and deform with the base side as a fulcrum. In addition, a coating layer 3b is provided on the glass engagement surface 50 of the seal lip portions 5a and 5b, which is the part that engages with the door glass G.

[0043] In addition, the weatherstrip W2 has a sub-lip portion 5c at the tip of the seal lip portion 5a, which curves inward from the tip towards the side wall portion 41. Furthermore, an upper lip portion 4b is provided on the upper side of the side wall portion 41 (above the seal lip portion 5a), which protrudes diagonally upward toward the door glass G. Also, a projection portion 44 is provided on the side wall portion 41 between the seal lip portions 5a and 5b, which protrudes toward the door glass G.

[0044] With this configuration, if the seal lip portion 5a undergoes significant deflection deformation toward the mounting base portion 4 (for example, deformation due to the swinging of the door glass G in the vehicle width direction), the sub-lip portion 5c will come into contact with the upper lip portion 4b, thereby suppressing the deflection deformation.

[0045] Similarly, in the case of the seal lip portion 5b, if it deforms significantly toward the mounting base portion 4, for example, the seal lip portion 5b will come into contact with the projection portion 44, thereby suppressing the deformation.

[0046] <Example of the configuration of coating layers 3a and 3b> The coating layers 3a and 3b (hereinafter collectively referred to as coating layer 3) only need to be made of one or more types of fibers, including at least irregularly shaped cross-section fibers, and various embodiments can be applied. For example, they may be made of only one type of irregularly shaped cross-section fiber, a combination of two or more types of irregularly shaped cross-section fibers, or a combination of the irregularly shaped cross-section fiber with other fibers (for example, fibers with a circular or elliptical cross-section).

[0047] Deformed cross-sectional fibers can have various cross-sectional shapes, as long as they can exhibit capillary action in the coating layer 3. Examples include, but are not limited to, so-called Y-shaped, polygonal (octagonal, etc.), flower-shaped, and star-shaped cross-sections.

[0048] Such irregularly shaped cross-section fibers can be easily created, for example, when extruding synthetic fiber materials (polyester, nylon, etc.) or regenerated fiber materials (rayon, etc.) from a spinneret (nozzle) to produce fibers, by appropriately setting the shape of the spinneret. Furthermore, these irregularly shaped cross-section fibers are commercially available in various forms and can be easily obtained.

[0049] As described above, the method for forming the covering layer 3 using irregularly shaped cross-section fibers, etc., is not particularly limited, and various embodiments can be applied. Examples include weaving (including pile weaving and interwoven weaving), knitting (including interknitting), bonding (including blending), and flocking (including electrostatic flocking). By these methods, a covering layer 3 made of woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric, flocked fabric, etc., can be constructed.

[0050] Furthermore, if the coating layer 3 is made of woven or knitted fabric, it may have an uneven surface, which may contribute to improved water absorption and quick drying properties. One example of this is a configuration in which an uneven surface is formed on the surface of the coating layer 3 by creating a knitted structure with a pique pile structure. The size of the uneven surface can be appropriately set according to the purpose, for example, the depth can be set to about several hundred micrometers to several millimeters, preferably within the range of 0.3 mm to 1.8 mm.

[0051] The basis weight, thickness, etc., of the coating layer 3 can be appropriately set according to the purpose (for example, the area to which the coating layer 3 is applied). As an example, the basis weight can be set to several hundred g / m 2 Approximate (for example, 200g / m²) 2 ~230g / m 2 The layer thickness can be set to approximately a few millimeters, but it is preferable to set the layer thickness within the range of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

[0052] The coating layer 3 may be directly joined to the glass engagement surfaces 20 and 50, or it may be indirectly joined (welded (heat-welded), bonded, etc.) via a film-like substrate such as a welding film or adhesive film.

[0053] When a film-like substrate is used, a coating layer 3 is provided on one end face of the film-like substrate, and the other end face of the film-like substrate is joined to the glass engagement surfaces 20 and 50. In this case, the film-like substrate may be joined to the glass engagement surfaces 20 and 50 in the molding line of an extruded body (weatherstrip W1, W2), for example, by so-called in-line processing. In this case, the film-like substrate may be pre-formed into a shape that is easy to join (for example, formed into a long tape shape) in anticipation of in-line processing.

[0054] <<Example of Verification>> Next, using test pieces made of thermoplastic elastomer composition that simulated the seal lip portions 2a and 2b of the weatherstrip W1, sample S1 according to the example and sample S2 according to the comparative example were prepared, and each was tested for wipeability, quick drying, and mold resistance using the methods described below.

[0055] Sample S1 has a coating layer 3 formed on the surface of the test piece (corresponding to the glass-covered engagement surfaces 20 and 50) by applying a 50 mm x 18 mm woven fabric (Real Dry Soft 40 face pique fabric manufactured by Daiichi Spinning Co., Ltd.) made of irregularly shaped cross-section fibers. Sample S2 has a coating layer 3 formed on the surface of the test piece, made only of circular cross-section fibers.

[0056] <Wiping properties> First, a glass component used in the door glass of a commercially available vehicle was prepared, and water droplets were formed by spraying water onto the surface of the glass component. Then, when the coating layer 3 of samples S1 and S2 was slid along the surface of the glass component, the surface of the glass component was photographed with a standard camera, and the results shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B) were obtained.

[0057] Figure 3(A) shows the result when sample S2 is slid, and it can be seen that there are a relatively large number of streaky wipe marks due to moisture. Figure 3(B) shows the result when sample S1 is slid, and it can be seen that there are almost no (relatively few) wipe marks compared to when sample S2 is slid.

[0058] <Quick drying> In samples S1 and S2, 400 μL of water was dropped onto each coating layer 3, and then the samples were placed in an atmosphere at a temperature of 23°C and a relative humidity of 50% RH. The weight change (amount of evaporation) of samples S1 and S2 over time was observed, and the results shown in Figure 4 were obtained.

[0059] Figure 4 shows that the water dropped onto samples S1 and S2 evaporates at the same rate. In other words, samples S1 and S2 have similar rapid-drying properties.

[0060] <Mold resistance> Based on JIS Z 2911, mold resistance tests were conducted on samples S1 and S2, and the surface of the coating layer 3 was photographed with an optical microscope. The results shown in Figures 5(A) and 5(B) were obtained.

[0061] According to Figures 5(A) and 5(B), it can be seen that no mold growth occurred in samples S1 and S2.

[0062] Although the present invention has been described in detail only with respect to the specific examples described above, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a wide variety of modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, and it is natural that such modifications fall within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] W1, W2… Weatherstrip 1,4…Mounting base 2a, 2b, 5a, 5b... Seal lip section 3a, 3b...Covering layer 20, 50… Glass-attached engagement surface

Claims

1. It has a glass-attached engagement surface that slidably engages with the glass, The weatherstrip is characterized in that the glass-attached engagement surface is provided with a coating layer made of at least one type of fiber, including fibers with a unique cross-section.

2. The weatherstrip according to claim 1, characterized in that the covering layer is provided with a woven fabric, knitted fabric, or nonwoven fabric made of the fibers on the glass engagement surface.

3. The weatherstrip according to claim 1, characterized in that the coating layer is formed by electrostatically flocking the fibers to the glass engagement surface.

4. The covering layer is provided with one of the following on one end face of the film-like substrate: a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, or a nonwoven fabric made of the aforementioned fibers. The weatherstrip according to claim 1, characterized in that the other end face of the base is provided on the glass engagement surface.

5. The coating layer is formed by electrostatically flocking the fibers to one end surface of a film-like substrate. The weatherstrip according to claim 1, characterized in that the other end face of the base is provided on the glass engagement surface.

6. The weatherstrip according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that the covering layer is made of either the woven fabric or the knitted fabric, and the surface side of the covering layer has an uneven shape.

7. The weatherstrip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coating layer has a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

8. A mounting base that can be fitted to a door panel, which is part of the car body, Having the aforementioned glass-receiving engagement surface, the elastic portion engages with the door glass provided on the door panel in an elastic manner and slidably; A weatherstrip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by having the following features.

9. A method for manufacturing a weatherstrip according to claim 4 or 5, A method for manufacturing a weatherstrip, characterized by joining the other end face of the film-like substrate to the glass-fitting surface of the weatherstrip on the weatherstrip molding line.

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