Belt line seal structure for automobile doors

Abstract

To make assembly workability excellent when assembling a seal material with a flange part of a belt line.SOLUTION: An outer wall part 22 of the seal material 20 is provided with seal lip parts 26a, 26b contacting glass G outward a cabin. A surface inside the cabin in the outer wall part 22 is provided with an upper engaging projection 27A and a lower engaging projection 27B contacting the surface outside the cabin of the flange part. When assembled, a guide surface 22d guiding the upper engaging project 27A to an outside surface of the cabin near an upper end part of the flange part is formed between the upper engaging projection 27A and the lower engaging projection 27B. An inclined surface 22e inclined upward to an outside of the cabin from an upper end part of the guide surface 22d is formed. The upper engaging projection 27A is composed of soft resin, projects upward to the inside of the cabin from the inclined plane 22e and is formed in a lip shape which goes thinner as it approaches the upper end.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a beltline seal structure provided on the beltline of an automobile door, and in particular to the technical field of a structure for attaching a seal material to a flange portion that constitutes the beltline. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a beltline seal structure for an automobile door that includes a glass run provided on a window frame that supports the peripheral edge of the windshield and a sealant provided separately from the glass run on a flange portion of the beltline. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, a flange portion 210 of the beltline of a door 200 is composed of an outer panel 210a and an inner panel 210b, and protrudes upward and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A sealant 220 has a groove 221 that opens downward and extends in the longitudinal direction. The groove 221 is inserted into the flange portion 210 from above. A surface 221a of the groove 221 facing the interior of the vehicle and a surface 221b facing the exterior of the vehicle are each formed with a locking lip 221c, an upper locking protrusion 221d, a lower locking protrusion 221e, and the like, which hold the flange portion 210 in a thickness direction. The upper locking projection 221d and the lower locking projection 221e are made of a soft material that is softer than the material that constitutes the main body portion 223 of the seal material 220.

[0003] In the configuration shown in Figure 8, when groove 221 is assembled to flange portion 210, groove 221 of sealing material 220 is positioned above flange portion 210 as shown by the solid line, and then the relative positional relationship between sealing material 220 and flange portion 210 changes as shown by the imaginary line, and then, although not shown, groove 221 is completely assembled to flange portion 210, and flange portion 210 and surface 221a of groove 221 facing the interior of the vehicle become approximately parallel to each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-146937 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, since the main body portion 223 of the sealing material 220 and the upper locking projection 221d are made of different materials, a material boundary exists between the main body portion 223 and the upper locking projection 221d. At the time of design, the shape is set so that there is no step from the surface 221b of the main body portion 223 facing the cabin exterior to the upper locking projection 221d, as shown in Figure 8. This configuration aims to prevent the upper end of the flange portion 210 from getting caught on the material boundary when the groove 221 is assembled to the flange portion 210.

[0006] However, when an actual extrusion-molded product is examined, a depression may occur at the boundary between the materials due to the difference in materials between the main body portion 223 and the upper locking projection 221d. If this occurs, when the sealing material 220 and the flange portion 210 are positioned as shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 8, the upper end of the flange portion 210 will be caught in the depression at the boundary between the materials, which will ultimately deteriorate the assembly workability of the sealing material 220.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object thereof is to improve the ease of assembly when assembling a sealing material to a flange portion of a belt line. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present disclosure can be based on a beltline seal structure for an automobile door, in which a sealant is attached to an upwardly protruding flange that constitutes the beltline of the automobile door, sealing between the flange and the glass. The sealant has an inner wall portion located on the interior side of the flange portion, an outer wall portion located on the exterior side of the flange portion, and an upper wall portion connecting the upper end of the inner wall portion to the upper end of the outer wall portion. The outer wall portion has a seal lip portion that contacts the interior surface of the glass of the automobile door and protrudes toward the outside of the cabin, extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. Upper and lower portions of the interior-side surface of the outer wall portion are provided with upper and lower locking protrusions, respectively, that contact the exterior surface of the flange portion. A guide surface is formed between the upper and lower locking projections on the cabin-side surface of the outer wall portion, extending from the cabin-side portion of the upper locking projection toward the base end of the lower locking projection and guiding the upper locking projection of the sealant to the cabin-exterior surface near the upper end of the flange portion during assembly. An inclined surface is formed extending from the upper end of the guide surface toward the cabin exterior and inclining upward as it approaches the cabin exterior. The upper locking projection is made of a soft resin that is softer than the materials constituting the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the upper wall portion, and has a lip shape that protrudes upward from the inclined surface toward the cabin interior and becomes thinner toward the upper end.

[0009] With this configuration, when the sealant is attached to the flange of the beltline of an automobile door, the groove between the outer wall and inner wall of the sealant is attached to the upper end of the flange. During assembly, the seal lip may come into contact with the glass, and the resulting reaction force may cause the sealant to tilt toward the interior of the vehicle cabin relative to its correct installation position. When the sealant is tilted, the guide surface guides the upper locking protrusion of the sealant toward the exterior surface of the vehicle cabin near the upper end of the flange, making assembly easier.

[0010] Furthermore, because the upper locking projection is made of a soft resin that is softer than the outer wall portion during extrusion molding of the sealant, a recess may form at the boundary between the base end of the upper locking projection and the outer wall portion. In this case, the upper end of the flange portion may become caught in the recess during assembly. However, even if this occurs, because the upper locking projection has a lip shape, it can be pushed by the upper end of the flange portion and elastically deformed by tilting the sealant toward the interior of the vehicle, thereby eliminating the catch of the upper end of the flange portion. Furthermore, because the lip shape of the upper locking projection becomes thinner toward its upper end, it is more likely to elastically deform when pushed by the upper end of the flange portion. Furthermore, the upper end of the flange portion is also guided by the interior side surface of the upper locking projection, making it easier to reach the correct assembly position.

[0011] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, the interior surface of the upper locking projection may be formed so as to elastically contact the exterior surface of the flange portion. This configuration allows the upper locking projection to be in close contact with the flange portion, improving sealing performance and suppressing noise from the contact area between the seal material and the flange portion.

[0012] The inclined surface according to the third aspect of the present disclosure may extend beyond the base end of the upper locking projection to the outside of the vehicle cabin. Also, the outer surface of the upper locking projection may be formed away from the outer wall portion, and the upper end of the upper locking projection may be formed away from the upper wall portion.

[0013] With this configuration, when the upper end of the flange portion comes into contact with the interior side surface of the upper locking projection, the upper locking projection can be easily elastically deformed toward the outside of the passenger compartment, thereby further improving the ease of assembly.

[0014] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an upper end portion of the guide surface and a lower end portion of the base end of the upper locking projection A recessed portion that opens toward the inside of the vehicle compartment is formed at the connecting portion.

[0015] With this configuration, when the sealing material is extruded, variations in extrusion can cause the lower end of the base end of the upper locking protrusion to be located closer to the interior of the vehicle than the upper end of the guide surface, and if a recessed shape opening downward is formed at the connection between the upper end of the guide surface and the lower end of the base end of the upper locking protrusion (not shown), the upper end of the flange portion will be prone to getting caught.However, this problem can be prevented in advance, and the upper end of the flange portion will be less likely to get caught on the curved surface.

[0016] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the seal lip portion may be made of a soft resin that is softer than the materials constituting the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the upper wall portion. A region surrounded by the guide surface, the inclined surface, and a boundary surface extending from a middle portion of the guide surface to an upper portion of the inclined surface may also be made of the soft resin.

[0017] With this configuration, the area made up of soft resin is wider, allowing the upper locking protrusion to be securely attached to the exterior surface of the flange portion, and further suppressing the generation of abnormal noise from the contact area between the sealing material and the flange portion.

[0018] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the upper wall portion can be made of a hard resin that is harder than a material that constitutes the seal lip portion.

[0019] With this configuration, the outer wall portion, the inner wall portion, and the upper wall portion are made of a hard resin and have appropriate rigidity, so that the seal is less likely to come off the flange portion after being assembled to the flange portion. Also, because the guide surface is made of a hard resin, deformation of the guide surface is suppressed when the upper end of the flange portion abuts against it, and the guide surface can guide the interior side of the upper locking projection of the seal material to the exterior side of the passenger compartment near the upper end of the flange portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As described above, a guide surface that guides the upper locking projection toward the outer surface of the vehicle cabin near the upper end of the flange portion, and an inclined surface that slopes upward from the upper end of the guide surface toward the outside of the vehicle cabin are formed on the outer wall portion, and the upper locking projection protrudes upward from the inclined surface toward the inside of the vehicle cabin and has a lip shape that becomes thinner toward the upper end.Therefore, when assembling a sealing material to the flange portion, the upper end of the flange portion is less likely to get caught on the base end of the upper locking projection or its vicinity, thereby improving assembly workability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a left side view of an automobile equipped with an automobile door according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a belt line sealant at a middle portion in the front-rear direction. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross section corresponding to line III-III in FIG. 1, with the door trim omitted. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a view of the left rear door as seen from inside the vehicle compartment, illustrating the assembly process of the glass run and the belt line sealant. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a view equivalent to FIG. 5, illustrating a state in which the upper end of the flange portion has passed the guide surface. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in the middle of assembling a conventional belt line sealant to a flange portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a left side view of an automobile 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A front door 101 and a rear door 102 are provided on the left and right sides of the automobile 100, respectively. The front door 101 and the rear door 102 are automobile doors according to the present invention, and their front ends are rotatably attached to the vehicle body via hinges (not shown). In this embodiment, the present invention will be described as being applied to the rear door 102, but this is not limiting and the present invention can also be applied to the front door 101. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to either the left or right door 101, 102. In the description of this embodiment, the front side of the vehicle will be simply referred to as the "front" and the rear side of the vehicle will be simply referred to as the "rear."

[0024] (Rear door configuration) The rear door 102 has a door body 103 that forms approximately the lower half of the rear door 102 and a window frame 104 that forms approximately the upper half, and a window glass G is provided on the rear door 102 so that it can be raised and lowered. The front end of the door body 103 is attached to the vehicle body via the hinge. A window regulator (not shown) for raising and lowering the window glass G is housed inside the door body 103.

[0025] The rear door 102 includes an inner panel (door panel) 105 (shown in FIGS. 3 to 6) made of a press-molded product that forms the interior side of the right rear door 102, and an outer panel (door panel) 106 (shown in FIG. 1 on the left side of the vehicle) made of a press-molded product that forms the exterior side of the rear door 102. The inner panel 105 and the outer panel 106 are made of, for example, steel plate.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 , the window frame 104 is a frame-like member that supports the peripheral edge of the window glass G and defines a window glass opening 108. The window frame 104 has a front vertical frame side portion 104a, a rear vertical frame side portion 104b, and a frame upper side portion 104c. The front vertical frame side portion 104a extends vertically in front of the rear door 102. The rear vertical frame side portion 104b extends vertically in rear of the rear door 102. The lower portions of the front vertical frame side portion 104a and the rear vertical frame side portion 104b reach the interior of the door body 103 so that the window glass G can be guided into the interior of the door body 103 when lowered. The frame upper side portion 104c extends from the upper end of the front vertical frame side portion 104a to the upper end of the rear vertical frame side portion 104b and is inclined downwards toward the rear in accordance with the shape of the window glass G.

[0027] The belt line 107 of the rear door 102 extends along the lower edge of the window glass opening 108. The belt line 107 may extend substantially horizontally, or may extend so that it is positioned higher as it extends rearward, that is, it may extend sloping downward toward the front. As shown in FIG. 3 , the belt line 107 is formed by a flange portion 109 that protrudes upward. The portion of the inner panel 105 that forms the flange portion 109 is an inner-side extending plate portion 105a that extends upward. The portion of the outer panel 106 that forms the flange portion 109 is an outer-side extending plate portion 106a that extends upward. The inner-side extending plate portion 105a and the outer-side extending plate portion 106a extend continuously in the front-rear direction from the vicinity of the front-side frame vertical side portion 104a to the vicinity of the rear-side frame vertical side portion 104b. The inner extending plate portion 105a and the outer extending plate portion 106a are joined together with the cabin interior surface of the outer extending plate portion 106a overlapping the cabin exterior surface of the inner extending plate portion 105a. Thus, the flange portion 109 has the combined thickness of the inner panel 105 and the outer panel 106. The flange portion 109 may be formed by only one of the inner panel 105 and the outer panel 106. The flange portion 109 may protrude vertically or may protrude at an angle relative to the vertical plane. Although the upper ends of the inner panel 105 and the outer panel 106 are illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 as being at the same height, they do not have to be at the same height.

[0028] The window glass G is raised and lowered by a window regulator, and is fully closed at the uppermost position and fully open at the lowermost position. The lowermost position is the position shown by the phantom line in Fig. 1 and the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 4, and the window glass G is not completely housed inside the door body 103. That is, the upper end of the window glass G at the lowermost position is mostly located above the upper end of the belt line 107 (the same as the upper end of the flange portion 109 shown in Fig. 3), but the upper end of the rear part of the window glass G is located below the upper end of the belt line 107. This is due to the shape of the window frame 104.

[0029] The present invention can also be applied to a door (not shown) that does not have a window frame 104.

[0030] (glass run) As shown in (B) to (D) of Fig. 4, a glass run 10 is attached to the rear door 102. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the left rear door 102 as seen from inside the vehicle compartment (the inner panel 105 side), in which (A) shows a state before the glass run 10 and a belt line sealant 20, which will be described later, are installed, (B) shows a state after the glass run 10 has been installed, (C) shows a state in the middle of installing the belt line sealant 20, and (D) shows a state after the belt line sealant 20 has been installed.

[0031] The glass run 10 is a sealing material that seals the gap between the window frame 104 and the window glass G, and also has the function of guiding the window glass G in the up and down direction. The glass run 10 is made up of a front glass run vertical side portion 10a that extends along the front frame vertical side portion 104a, a rear glass run vertical side portion 10b that extends along the rear frame vertical side portion 104b, and a glass run upper side portion 10c that extends along the frame upper side portion 104c.

[0032] (Belt line sealant) 3, a belt line sealant 20 is attached to a flange portion 109 of the rear door 102 to seal between the flange portion 109 and the windshield G. This belt line sealant 20 corresponds to the sealing material of the present invention, and therefore the rear door 102 has a belt line seal structure formed by attaching the belt line sealant 20 to the flange portion 109.

[0033] The belt line sealant 20 extends continuously from the front glass run vertical side 10a to the rear glass run vertical side 10b of the glass run 10 along the flange portion 109. The belt line sealant 20 has an inner wall portion 21 located on the passenger compartment inner side of the flange portion 109, an outer wall portion 22 located on the passenger compartment outer side of the flange portion 109, and an upper wall portion 23 connecting the upper end of the inner wall portion 21 to the upper end of the outer wall portion 22. The inner wall portion 21, the outer wall portion 22, and the upper wall portion 23 are integrally molded from, for example, a hard resin. The hard resin may be a resin mixed with talc or glass fiber, and the inner wall portion 21, the outer wall portion 22, and the upper wall portion 23 function as a core material of the belt line sealant 20. This prevents dimensional change in the longitudinal direction even when, for example, an operator manually pulls the belt line sealant 20 in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the belt line sealant 20 has sufficient strength to prevent stretching in the longitudinal direction.

[0034] The distance between the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 in the interior-exterior direction of the vehicle is set to be sufficiently wider than the thickness of the flange portion 109. An inclined portion 21a is integrally formed on the lower portion of the inner wall portion 21, and is positioned more inwardly of the vehicle cabin as it approaches the lower end. This increases the dimension in the interior-exterior direction between the lower end of the inner wall portion 21 and the lower end of the outer wall portion 22, making it easier to assemble the groove 29 between the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 to the flange portion 109 during assembly, which will be described later. An elastically deforming portion 21e is provided at the lower end of the inclined portion 21a. This elastically deforming portion 21e is positioned so as to come into contact with the inner panel 105 after the belt line sealant 20 is assembled to the flange portion 109.

[0035] A curved lip support portion 21b is integrally molded at the upper end of the inner wall portion 21 so as to protrude upward. A base end (lower end) of the curved lip portion 24 is connected to the upper end of the curved lip support portion 21b. The curved lip portion 24 is made of an elastic material that is softer than the hard resin that constitutes the inner wall portion 21, the outer wall portion 22, and the upper wall portion 23. Examples of this elastic material include soft resin and rubber. Specific examples include thermoplastic elastomers such as styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPS) and olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPO), and rubber such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), but are not limited to these. The curved lip portion 24 protrudes upward and is curved so that it is positioned more outside the vehicle cabin as it approaches the upper end.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 , an upper locking lip 25a and a lower locking lip 25b are provided on the exterior surface of the inner wall 21. That is, an upper locking lip support portion 21c and a lower locking lip support portion 21d are integrally molded with a gap between them in the vertical direction on the exterior surface of the inner wall 21. A base end portion of the upper locking lip 25a is connected to a tip end portion of the upper locking lip support portion 21c, and a base end portion of the lower locking lip 25b is connected to a tip end portion of the lower locking lip support portion 21d. The upper locking lip 25a and the lower locking lip 25b protrude toward the exterior wall 22, and when not assembled to the flange 109, the tip ends of the upper locking lip 25a and the lower locking lip 25b are located near the interior surface of the exterior wall 22. 3, when the upper and lower locking lips 25a, 25b are assembled to the flange 109, the thin-walled portions at the tips thereof come into contact with the interior surface of the flange 109 and are elastically deformed into an upwardly bent shape. The upper and lower locking lips 25a, 25b are made of the same elastic material as the curved lip 24.

[0037] The outer wall portion 22 is provided with an upper seal lip portion 26a and a lower seal lip portion 26b that come into contact with the interior surface of the windshield G and that extend in the front-to-rear direction and protrude toward the outside of the vehicle compartment. The upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b are spaced apart in the vertical direction, with the upper seal lip portion 26a being provided at the upper end of the outer wall portion 22 and the lower seal lip portion 26b being provided at the lower end of the outer wall portion 22. That is, an upper seal lip support portion 22a is integrally formed with an upper portion of the outer surface of the outer wall portion 22 that faces the vehicle compartment so as to protrude toward the outside of the vehicle compartment, and a lower seal lip support portion 22b is integrally formed with a lower portion of the outer surface of the outer wall portion 22 that faces the vehicle compartment so as to protrude toward the outside of the vehicle compartment. The upper seal lip support portion 22a and the lower seal lip support portion 22b extend in the front-to-rear direction. The base end of the upper seal lip portion 26a is connected to the tip end of the upper seal lip support portion 22a, and the base end of the lower seal lip portion 26b is connected to the tip end of the lower seal lip support portion 22b. The upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b are made of the same elastic material as the curved lip portion 24. In addition, flocking F is arranged at the portions of the upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b that come into contact with the window glass G to enable the window glass G to move up and down smoothly.

[0038] The upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b are formed so that they are positioned higher as they move toward the outside of the vehicle cabin. When they are not in elastic contact with the windshield G (as shown in FIG. 2), the inclination is gentler than when they are in elastic contact with the windshield G (as shown in FIG. 3). In other words, when the upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b are in elastic contact with the windshield G, they are elastically deformed so that the inclination becomes steeper, and the reaction force of the upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b at this time acts on the entire belt line seal material 20.

[0039] In this embodiment, the upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b are made to make strong elastic contact with the windshield G, thereby improving the sealing performance of the belt line sealant 20 and making it more difficult for noise from outside the vehicle cabin to enter the vehicle cabin. Furthermore, two lips 26a, 26b are provided to form a double seal structure, which also improves the sealing performance. However, the reaction force of the upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b is large.

[0040] 2, an upper locking protrusion 27A and a lower locking protrusion 27B that elastically contact the exterior surface of the flange 109 are provided on the upper and lower portions of the surface of the outer wall 22 facing the interior of the vehicle, respectively. The upper locking protrusion 27A is located above the upper locking lip 25a.

[0041] A lower locking projection support portion 22c is integrally formed on the cabin-side surface of the outer wall portion 22, spaced downward from the upper locking projection 27A. A base end portion of the lower locking projection 27B is connected to a tip end portion of the lower locking projection support portion 22c. As shown in FIG. 3, when assembled to the flange portion 109, the tips of the upper locking projection 27A and the lower locking projection 27B elastically contact the cabin-side surface of the flange portion 109. The upper locking projection 27A and the lower locking projection 27B are made of the same elastic material as the curved lip portion 24.

[0042] A guide surface 22d is formed between the upper locking projection 27A and the lower locking projection 27B on the surface of the outer wall portion 22 facing the interior of the vehicle. The guide surface 22d extends from the interior side of the upper locking projection 27A toward the base end of the lower locking projection 27B and is configured as an inclined surface that is inclined so that the lower portion is positioned more outside the vehicle cabin. The guide surface 22d may also be a curved surface that is positioned more outside the vehicle cabin as it extends downward.

[0043] More specifically, the upper end of guide surface 22d is located closer to the interior of the vehicle than interior side surface 27b of upper locking projection 27A. The lower end of guide surface 22d extends to the vicinity of the base end of lower locking projection support portion 22c or to the intermediate portion between upper seal lip support portion 22a and lower seal lip support portion 22b. Guide surface 22d acts as a surface that guides upper locking projection 27A of belt line sealant 20 to the exterior side surface of the vehicle near the upper end of flange portion 109 when assembling belt line sealant 20 to flange portion 109. Because guide surface 22d is part of the surface of outer wall portion 22 made of hard resin, it is a surface that is unlikely to deform even when the upper end of flange portion 109 abuts against it.

[0044] A reduced-depth portion 28 is formed in the cabin exterior surface of the outer wall portion 22 near the base end of the upper seal lip support portion 22a. In this embodiment, the reduced-depth portion 28 is configured as a recess formed in the cabin exterior surface of the outer wall portion 22. The reduced-depth portion 28 is formed near the base end of the upper seal lip support portion 22a and is continuous from the front end to the rear end of the outer wall portion 22. The reduced-depth portion 28 becomes deeper as it goes upward. Specifically, it is deepest near the base end of the upper seal lip support portion 22a and becomes shallower near the base end. The portion of the reduced-depth portion 28 on the cabin interior side that is located at the same height as the guide surface 22d is a parallel surface 28a that is formed to extend parallel to the guide surface 22d.

[0045] That is, if the guide surface 22d is formed, the thickness of the outer wall portion 22 increases toward the upper side, which may result in excessive rigidity, but by forming the recessed portion 28, it is possible to appropriately reduce the rigidity of the outer wall portion 22. In particular, by providing the parallel surface 28a, the thickness of the outer wall portion 22 becomes constant within a predetermined range in the up-down direction. In other words, it is possible to avoid the outer wall portion 22 from being thickened by forming the guide surface 22d.

[0046] Additionally, a chamfered portion 28b is formed on the upper surface of the recessed portion 28, connecting the parallel surface 28a to the vicinity of the base end of the upper seal lip support portion 22a. More specifically, the chamfered portion 28b (chamfered R portion) is set with respect to the extension line of the lower surface of the upper seal lip support portion 22a, shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2, and the upper extension line of the parallel surface 28a, shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2. As a result, the chamfered portion 28b (chamfered R portion) becomes a portion of high rigidity in the outer wall portion 22, while the parallel surface 28a directly below it becomes a portion of low rigidity. This configuration allows a portion where rigidity suddenly changes to be set, making the entire belt line seal material 20 easier to twist around this portion where rigidity suddenly changes, further improving assembly ease.

[0047] An inclined surface 22e is formed on the interior side of the outer wall 22. The inclined surface 22e extends from the upper end of the guide surface 22d toward the exterior of the vehicle cabin and is inclined upward as it approaches the exterior of the vehicle cabin. The upper locking projection 27A is made of the soft resin and protrudes upward from the inclined surface 22e toward the interior of the vehicle cabin. The upper locking projection 27A has a lip shape that becomes thinner as it approaches the upper end.

[0048] An upper portion of inclined surface 22e extends further outside the vehicle cabin than the base end of upper locking projection 27A. A lower portion of inclined surface 22e extends further inside the vehicle cabin than the base end of upper locking projection 27A. In other words, the dimension of the base end of upper locking projection 27A in the vehicle width direction is set shorter than the dimension from the lower end to the upper end of inclined surface 22e.

[0049] The outer and inner surfaces 27a, 27b of the upper locking projection 27A are formed so that they are positioned closer to the interior of the vehicle cabin as they approach the upper end. Because the upper locking projection 27A has a lip shape as described above, the outer and inner surfaces 27a, 27b of the upper locking projection 27A are formed so that they approach each other as they approach the upper end, and are continuous at the upper end 27c.

[0050] 3, the interior side surface 27b of the upper locking projection 27A is formed so that, when the belt line sealant 20 is assembled to the flange portion 109, the interior side surface 27b of the upper locking projection 27A elastically contacts the exterior side surface of the flange portion 109. This allows a wide area of ​​the interior side surface 27b of the upper locking projection 27A to be in close contact with the exterior side surface of the flange portion 109, improving sealing performance and making it less likely that the guide surface 22d made of hard resin and the curved surface 22f, which will be described later, will come into direct contact with the flange portion 109, thereby further suppressing the generation of abnormal noise.

[0051] 2, the cabin outer surface 27a of the upper locking projection 27A is formed so as to be spaced apart from the outer wall portion 22. Specifically, the cabin outer surface 27a of the upper locking projection 27A is formed so as to be spaced apart from the cabin interior surface of the outer wall portion 22 toward the cabin interior. Therefore, the cabin outer surface 27a of the upper locking projection 27A and the cabin interior surface of the outer wall portion 22 are positioned opposite each other while being spaced apart in the cabin-exterior direction, and a space S is formed between the cabin outer surface 27a of the upper locking projection 27A and the cabin interior surface of the outer wall portion 22. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, when the upper locking projection 27A flexes and deforms toward the outside of the cabin, the cabin outer surface 27a of the upper locking projection 27A is less likely to interfere with the cabin interior surface of the outer wall portion 22, allowing for easy flexural deformation.

[0052] 2, upper end portion 27c of upper locking projection 27A is spaced downward from the lower surface of upper wall portion 23. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, when upper locking projection 27A flexes and deforms toward the outside of the vehicle compartment, upper end portion 27c of upper locking projection 27A is less likely to interfere with the lower surface of upper wall portion 23, allowing for easier flexural deformation.

[0053] The connecting portion between guide surface 22d and inclined surface 22e is provided with a chamfered shape consisting of curved surface 22f. That is, curved surface 22f extends from the upper end of guide surface 22d to the lower end of inclined surface 22e, and the formation of curved surface 22f prevents an edge from being formed between guide surface 22d and inclined surface 22e. In addition, the lower end of the base end of upper locking projection 27A is positioned at the upper end of curved surface 22f.

[0054] If the belt line seal material 20 is given this targeted shape, then when the belt line seal material 20 is extruded, variations in extrusion may cause the lower end of the base end of the upper locking projection 27A to be positioned closer to the interior of the vehicle than the upper end of the guide surface 22d, and if a recessed shape opening downward is formed at the connection between the upper end of the guide surface 22d and the lower end of the base end of the upper locking projection 27A (not shown), the upper end of the flange portion 109 will be prone to getting caught; however, this problem can be prevented in advance, and the upper end of the flange portion 109 will be less likely to get caught on the curved surface 22f.

[0055] (Assembling method) Next, we will explain how to assemble the belt line sealant 20 configured as described above. Before assembling the glass run 10 and the belt line sealant 20, the state is as shown in Figure 4(A), in which most of the upper edge of the windshield G in the lowest position as described above is located above the belt line 107, and only the rear portion is located below the belt line 107.

[0056] First, as shown in FIG. 4B, the glass run 10 is assembled to the window frame 104. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the beltline sealant 20 is assembled. Because the beltline sealant 20 is a long, highly rigid member, it cannot be bent in the vertical direction of the vehicle, making it difficult to assemble the front and rear sides simultaneously. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, the front side of the beltline sealant 20 is assembled before the rear side. Therefore, the beltline sealant 20 is tilted so that the front side is positioned lower than the rear side, and then the front side of the beltline sealant 20 is assembled to the flange portion 109 between the outer wall portion 22 and the inner wall portion 21. At this time, the beltline sealant 20 is still not substantially constrained by the flange portion 109, so the beltline sealant 20 has a high degree of freedom in its orientation, making it easy to assemble. In addition, a guide surface 22d is formed on the interior side of the vehicle cabin of the outer wall portion 22 of the belt line sealant 20, which has the effect of guiding the upper engagement protrusion 27A of the sealant 20 to the exterior side of the vehicle cabin near the upper end of the flange portion 109 during assembly, thereby making assembly easier.

[0057] When the portion of the belt line seal material 20 where the groove 29 is formed between the front outer wall portion 22 and the inner wall portion 21 is assembled to the flange portion 109, the cross section of line AA in (C) is almost the same as Figure 3, which shows the cross section of line III-III in Figure 1.

[0058] On the other hand, the cross section of the rear side, taken along line VV in Figure 4(C), is as shown in Figure 5. That is, because the front side of the belt line sealant 20 has already been assembled to the flange portion 109, the front side of the belt line sealant 20 is restrained by the flange portion 109, and the upper seal lip portion 26a and the lower seal lip portion 26b elastically contact the windshield G, and the reaction force at that time acts in the direction shown by arrow 300 in Figure 5. This is because the windshield G does not fully descend. As a result, the rear side of the belt line sealant 20 may tilt toward the interior of the vehicle relative to the correct assembly position.

[0059] In this state, because the recessed portion 28 is formed on the exterior surface of the outer wall portion 22 of the belt-line sealant 20 facing the cabin exterior, reducing the rigidity of the outer wall portion 22, an operator can easily twist and deform the belt-line sealant 20 to correct the inclination of the belt-line sealant 20 in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow 300. However, it is difficult to completely correct the inclination of the belt-line sealant 20, and in some cases, correction can only be made to the extent shown in FIG. 5. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, if the rear side of the belt-line sealant 20 is further lowered, the upper end of the flange portion 109 abuts against the guide surface 22d of the belt-line sealant 20, and the guide surface 22d guides the upper locking projection 27A of the sealant 20 to the exterior surface of the cabin near the upper end of the flange 109. As a result, the upper end of the flange 109 reaches the vicinity of the base end of the upper locking projection 27A.

[0060] During extrusion molding of the beltline sealant 20, because the upper locking projection 27A is made of a soft resin that is softer than the outer wall portion 22, a recess that opens toward the inside of the vehicle cabin may be formed at the connection between the lower end of the base end of the upper locking projection 27A and the upper end of the guide surface 22d of the outer wall portion 22. In this case, the upper end of the flange portion 109 may become caught in the recess that opens toward the inside of the vehicle cabin during assembly. However, even if this occurs, in this embodiment, because the upper locking projection 27A has a lip shape and a space S is formed between the upper locking projection 27A and the outer wall portion 22, the beltline sealant 20 is pushed by the upper end of the flange portion 109 and elastically deforms when, for example, the beltline sealant 20 is tilted toward the inside of the vehicle cabin. This eliminates the catch of the upper end of the flange portion 109. Furthermore, since the lip shape of upper locking projection 27A becomes thinner toward the upper end, upper locking projection 27A is easily elastically deformed when pressed toward the outside of the vehicle cabin by the upper end of flange portion 109, and the upper end of flange portion 109 is also guided by interior side surface 27b of upper locking projection 27A, making it easier to reach the correct assembly position. Therefore, the rear side of belt line sealant 20 is also easily assembled.

[0061] After the belt line sealant 20 is assembled, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper and lower locking protrusions 27A and 27B, and the upper and lower locking lips 25a and 25b both elastically contact the flange portion 109, thereby stabilizing the assembly position of the belt line sealant 20.

[0062] In addition, when assembling the belt line sealant 20, for example, the rear side of the belt line sealant 20 may be assembled before the front side. Although not shown, the belt line sealant for the front door 101 can also be assembled in the same manner.

[0063] (Variation) FIG. 7 shows a modified example of the embodiment. In the modified example shown in FIG. 7, a boundary surface 22g is formed that extends from the vertical middle portion of guide surface 22d to the upper portion of inclined surface 22e. Boundary surface 22g extends in the vertical direction. Not only upper locking projection 27A but also the area surrounded by guide surface 22d, inclined surface 22e, and boundary surface 22g are made of soft resin. In this modified example, not only upper locking projection 27A but also a wide area near the base end of upper locking projection 27A can be made of soft resin. This allows upper locking projection 27A to be reliably in close contact with the exterior surface of flange portion 109 and further reduces noise generation from the contact portion between sealant 20 and flange portion 109.

[0064] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, according to the belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to this embodiment, guide surface 22d that guides upper locking projection 27A of belt line sealant 20 to the outer surface of the vehicle cabin near the upper end of flange 109 is formed on outer wall 22, and inclined surface 22e that slopes upward from the upper end of guide surface 22d toward the outside of the vehicle cabin is further formed on outer wall 22. Upper locking projection 27A protrudes upward from inclined surface 22e toward the inside of the vehicle cabin and has a lip shape that becomes thinner toward the upper end. Therefore, when assembling belt line sealant 20 to flange 109, the upper end of flange 109 is less likely to get caught on the base end of upper locking projection 27A or its vicinity, improving the ease of assembly.

[0065] The above-described embodiments are merely examples in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. Furthermore, all modifications and variations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0066] As described above, the belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to the present invention can be applied, for example, when a glass run and a belt line sealant are separately assembled to a door disposed on the side of an automobile. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 10 Glass Run 20 Belt line sealant 21 Inner wall 22 Outer wall 22d Guideway 22e Slope 22g interface 23 Upper wall 26a Upper seal lip 26b Lower seal lip 27A Upper locking protrusion 27B Lower locking protrusion 29 Groove 107 Beltline 109 Flange G. Windshield

Claims

1. In a beltline seal structure for an automobile door, a sealant is attached to an upwardly protruding flange portion that constitutes the beltline of the automobile door, to seal between the flange portion and the glass, the sealing material has an inner wall portion located on the passenger compartment inner side of the flange portion, an outer wall portion located on the passenger compartment outer side of the flange portion, and an upper wall portion connecting an upper end portion of the inner wall portion and an upper end portion of the outer wall portion, The outer wall portion is provided with a seal lip portion that contacts the interior surface of the glass of the automobile door and protrudes toward the outside of the cabin and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, an upper locking projection and a lower locking projection that come into contact with a surface of the flange portion facing the cabin exterior are provided on an upper portion and a lower portion of a surface of the outer wall portion facing the cabin interior, respectively; a guide surface is formed between the upper locking projection and the lower locking projection on a surface of the outer wall portion facing the cabin interior, the guide surface extending from the cabin interior side of the upper locking projection toward a base end of the lower locking projection, and guiding the upper locking projection of the seal material to a cabin exterior surface near an upper end of the flange portion during assembly; an inclined surface is formed which extends from an upper end of the guide surface toward the outside of the vehicle compartment and is inclined so as to be positioned higher as it goes toward the outside of the vehicle compartment; The upper engaging projection is made of a soft resin that is softer than the material constituting the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the upper wall portion, and protrudes upward from the inclined surface toward the inside of the vehicle compartment, and has a lip shape that becomes thinner toward the upper end.

2. 2. The belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to claim 1, 10. A belt line seal structure for an automobile door, wherein the interior side of the upper locking projection is formed so as to elastically contact the exterior side of the flange portion.

3. The belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to claim 1 or 2, the inclined surface extends beyond a base end of the upper locking projection to an outer side of the vehicle cabin, A belt line seal structure for an automobile door, characterized in that the outer surface of the upper locking protrusion is formed so as to be away from the outer wall portion, and the upper end of the upper locking protrusion is formed so as to be away from the upper wall portion.

4. 2. The belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to claim 1, A belt line seal structure for an automobile door, characterized in that a recessed shape opening toward the inside of the vehicle compartment is formed at the connection portion between the upper end of the guide surface and the lower end of the base end of the upper engaging protrusion.

5. The belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to claim 4, the seal lip portion is made of a soft resin that is softer than materials constituting the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the upper wall portion, A belt line seal structure for an automobile door, characterized in that the area surrounded by the guide surface, the inclined surface, and a boundary surface extending from the middle of the guide surface to the upper part of the inclined surface is also made of the soft resin.

6. 2. The belt line seal structure for an automobile door according to claim 1, A belt line seal structure for an automobile door, characterized in that the inner wall portion, the outer wall portion, and the upper wall portion are made of a hard resin that is harder than the material that makes up the seal lip portion.

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