Door weather strip

Abstract

Provided is a door weather strip wherein protrusions are provided to the outer opening edges of slits in the basal section of an attachment base section so as to enhance the rigidity of the opening edges of the slits, and, as a result, opening deformation of the slit opening edges when a door is closed is suppressed such that reduction in seal performance can be prevented. This door weather strip comprises a molded part 11b provided with: an attachment base section 22 that is attached to an inner panel 3a of a front door; and a hollow seal section 23 that is provided integrally with the attachment base section and that elastically contacts a vehicle body panel 6 when the door is closed. Three slits 28-30 are separately formed in the longitudinal direction in the basal section 26 of the attachment base section, said basal section 26 abutting the inner panel. Protrusion pairs 31-33 running in the longitudinal direction are provided to the outer opening edges 28a-30a of the three slits so as to enhance the rigidity of the outer opening edges, and, as a result, opening deformation is suppressed.

Description

Door weather strip

[0001] The present invention relates to a door weatherstrip that is attached to a door panel, such as a front door or rear door, of an automobile to provide a seal between the door panel and a body panel at an opening in the body.

[0002] A conventional door weatherstrip is known from Patent Document 1 below.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile front door to which the present invention and a conventional door weatherstrip are applied, viewed from the inside; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the door weatherstrip; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the conventional door weatherstrip as viewed from the mounting surface side of the molded portion; and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of line A-A in FIG. 1, showing the deformation state of the conventional door weatherstrip when the door is closed.

[0004] As shown in FIG. 1, the front door 1 of an automobile has a door body 2 capable of accommodating a door glass G, and a sash portion 3 integrally formed at the upper end of the door body 2. A door weather strip 11 is disposed on the inner surface of the outer periphery of the door body 2 and the sash portion 3.

[0005] The door body 2 is provided with an elevator 5 therein that raises and lowers the door glass G to open and close it. As shown in Figure 8, the sash portion 3 is formed by joining an end portion of an inner panel 3a on the vehicle interior side and an end portion of an outer panel 3b on the vehicle exterior side by a hemming process using a hemming flange portion 3c.

[0006] As shown in Fig. 2, the door weatherstrip 11 is formed in an endless annular shape by an extruded portion 11a arranged on a straight portion of the front door 1 and a molded portion 11b arranged on a corner portion or the like of the front door 1. As shown in Fig. 8, the door weatherstrip 11 is equipped with a mounting base 12 that is attached and fixed to the inner panel 3a of the sash portion 3 by a mounting clip (not shown), and a hollow seal portion 13 that is provided integrally with the outer end of the mounting base 12 and that elastically contacts the vehicle body panel 6 (body side outer panel) when the door is closed.

[0007] The molded portion 11b is designed so that the mounting base 12 and hollow seal portion 13 are molded using a core from a mold molding machine (not shown), and as shown in Figure 7, three slits 14, 15, and 16 are formed in the base 12a of the mounting base 12 for removing the core that remains inside the molded product when the mold is released. These three slits 14 to 16 are formed by dividing the base 12a at the center in the width direction along the longitudinal direction, and by dividing the slits in this way, it is possible to eliminate the need to bond adjacent slits 14 to 16 with an adhesive.

[0008] Japanese Patent No. 4140522 (Figure 6)

[0009] However, to form the three divided slits 14 to 16, the core of the mold molding machine must be divided into three pieces, rather than the conventional single piece. Therefore, the strength of each core is lower than that of a single core, and in order to ensure this strength, the wall thickness of each core must be made thicker than that of a single core.

[0010] In this case, the slits 14 to 16 for removing each core must be formed with a large width W of each opening 14a to 16a, which reduces the rigidity of the opening edges 14b to 16b around each opening 14a to 16a.

[0011] 8, when the front door 1 is closed, the mounting base 12 attached to the inner panel 3a elastically contacts the body panel 6 at the vehicle body opening and undergoes compressive deformation. This deformation pressure (thick white arrows) may cause the opening edges 14b-16b of the slits 14-16 to open into a V-shaped cross section, as shown by the black arrows. As a result, the support rigidity of the base 12a of the mounting base 12 for the hollow seal portion 13 decreases, reducing the sealing pressure of the hollow seal portion 13 against the body panel 6 when the door is closed. This also reduces the sealing pressure between the base 12a of the mounting base 12 and the inner panel 3a, potentially deteriorating the overall sealing performance.

[0012] The present invention was devised in consideration of the technical problems of the above-mentioned conventional technology, and aims to provide a door weatherstrip that can suppress the opening deformation of the slit opening edge when the door is closed by providing a protrusion on the outer opening edge of the slit at the base of the mounting base to increase the rigidity of the slit opening edge, thereby suppressing the deterioration of sealing performance.

[0013] The present invention is a door weatherstrip having a molded portion with a mounting base that is attached to a door panel of a vehicle door and a hollow sealing portion that is integral with the mounting base and elastically contacts the vehicle body panel when the door is closed, and is characterized in that a plurality of slits are formed in the base portion of the mounting base that abuts against the door panel, divided along the longitudinal direction, and a protrusion is provided on the outer opening edge of at least one of the slits.

[0014] According to the present invention, the protrusion increases the rigidity of the opening edge of the slit, thereby sufficiently suppressing deformation of the slit when the door is closed. As a result, the support rigidity of the hollow seal portion of the mounting base is increased, which increases the sealing pressure of the hollow seal against the vehicle body panel and the sealing pressure of the base of the mounting base against the door panel, thereby improving overall sealing performance.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an automobile front door to which the present invention and a conventional door weatherstrip are applied, viewed from the inside. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a door weatherstrip. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a molded portion of an embodiment of a door weatherstrip according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of a door weatherstrip according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1, showing a deformation state of the door weatherstrip of this embodiment when the door is closed. FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing a state in which the door weatherstrip of this embodiment is attached to an inner panel by mounting clips. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional door weatherstrip, viewed from the bottom side of the base portion of the mounting base in the molded portion. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1, showing a deformation state of the conventional door weatherstrip when the door is closed.

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a door weather strip according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0017] Figure 3 is a bottom view of the molded portion of an embodiment of the door weatherstrip according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1 showing the door weatherstrip of this embodiment, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1 showing the deformation state of the door weatherstrip of this embodiment when the door is closed, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the door weatherstrip of this embodiment attached to an inner panel by an attachment clip.

[0018] As described above, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper part of the door body 2 of an automobile front door 1 is provided with a sash portion 3, which is made by joining an inner panel 3a and an outer panel 3b by hemming. A door weatherstrip 21 is provided on the inner surface of the outer periphery of the door body 2 and the sash portion 3, to seal the gap between the front door 1 and the vehicle body opening. As shown in Fig. 2, this door weatherstrip 21 is composed of an extrusion-molded portion 11a and a molded portion 11b, and the door weatherstrip 21 on the molded portion 11b side will be described below.

[0019] The door weatherstrip 21 is formed as a single unit from rubber or resin material, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, it comprises: a mounting base 22 that is attached and fixed to an inner panel 3a such as a door outer panel on the inner surface of the outer periphery of the door body 2 or sash portion 3 by mounting clips 34 (described later); a hollow seal portion 23 that is provided integrally with the upper end of the mounting base 22 on the inner side of the vehicle and functions as a main seal by elastically contacting the straight portion 6a of the vehicle body panel 6 when the door is closed; and a seal lip 24 that protrudes toward the outside of the vehicle from the inner side wall 22a of the mounting base 22 and functions as a sub-seal by elastically contacting the underside of the curved outer periphery 6b of the vehicle body panel 6.

[0020] The mounting base 22 has an approximately rectangular cross section and is formed along the outer periphery of the front door 1 including the sash portion 3, and a space portion 22b that is continuous with the hollow seal portion 23 is formed continuously inside along the longitudinal direction.

[0021] On the side wall 22a of the mounting base 22 facing the interior of the vehicle, two panel lips 25a, 25b that elastically contact the hemming flange 3c of the sash 3 are provided in two stages, one above the other.

[0022] Furthermore, three sealing protrusions 27a, 27b, 27c that come into contact with the inner panel 3a are integrally provided along the longitudinal direction of the door weatherstrip 21 on the bottom surface 26a of the base portion 26 of the mounting base 22. Two of the sealing protrusions 27a, 27b are located on either side of the lower end surface of the side wall 22a on the vehicle interior side of the mounting base 22, and the other sealing protrusion 27c is located on the lower end surface of the joint portion with the other end of the hollow sealing portion 23.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the base portion 26 is formed with three slits 28, 29, 30 through which a core (not shown) can be removed when the mold is released after molding.

[0024] The three slits 28-30 are formed in the center of the width direction of the base 26, elongated along the longitudinal direction, and separated from one another at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction. By separating the slits 28-30 into three in this way, it is no longer necessary to bond the adjacent slits 28-30 with an adhesive, as described above, which reduces the number of work steps and reduces costs.

[0025] Each slit 28-30 has a pair of protrusions 31, 32, 33 on its outer opening edge 28a-30a. Each pair of protrusions 31-33 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the outer opening edge 28a-30a of the slit 28-30, with each protruding height set to be uniform or nearly uniform and nearly the same as the protruding height of each of the seal protrusions 27a-27c. Furthermore, each of the protrusions 31-33 is only provided along the longitudinal direction of each of the outer opening edges 28a-30a, and is not provided at either end of each of the outer opening edges 28a-30a in the longitudinal direction. Each of the protrusions 31-33 is arranged parallel to the seal protrusions 27a-27c, with each cross-sectional width set to be nearly the same as the cross-sectional width of each of the seal protrusions 27a-27c. As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting base 22 is fixed to the inner panel 3a via a mounting clip 34 inserted through at least one of the three slits 28 to 30, for example, the central slit 29.

[0026] The hollow seal portion 23 is formed to have a substantially elliptical cross section, and in the free state when the door is open, as shown in Fig. 4, the tip portion 23a is formed to bulge in a substantially linear shape toward the straight portion 6a of the body panel 6. When the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 5, the tip portion is pressed against the straight portion 6a of the body panel 6 and is compressed and deformed, thereby sealing the gap between the inner panel 3a and the body panel 6.

[0027] [Function and Effect of Door Weatherstrip According to the Present Embodiment] As described above, when the front door 1 of the automobile is closed, as shown in Fig. 5, the tip of the hollow seal portion 23 of the door weatherstrip 21 according to the present embodiment elastically contacts the outer surface of the straight portion 6a of the vehicle body panel 6. As a result, the hollow seal portion 23 is compressed and deformed in a direction in which it is entirely crushed by the pressing force of the front door 1 (vehicle body panel 6).

[0028] In this embodiment, the protrusions 31 to 33 are provided on the outer opening edges 28a to 30a of the three slits 28 to 30, respectively, which provides sufficiently high rigidity (strength) of the opening edges 28a to 30a of the slits 28 to 30. Therefore, as described above, when the hollow seal portion 23 is compressed and deformed by the pressing force from the vehicle body panel 6 when the front door 1 is closed, the opening edges 28a to 30a of the slits 28 to 30 can be effectively prevented from opening even when pressure is applied due to this compressive deformation.

[0029] Furthermore, in the door weatherstrip 21, the strength of the base portion 26 of the mounting base 22 is increased due to the increased rigidity of the outer opening edges 28a to 30a of the slits 28 to 30 provided by the protrusions 31 to 33, and therefore the support rigidity of the mounting base 22 for the hollow seal portion 23 is also increased. As a result, a decrease in the sealing pressure of the hollow seal portion 23 against the vehicle body panel 6 and a decrease in the sealing pressure of the base portion 26 against the inner panel 3a are suppressed, improving the overall sealing performance.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, three sealing protrusions 27a to 27c are provided on the bottom surface 26a of the base portion 26, and the protrusions 31 to 33 are provided, which abut against the inner panel 3a to provide multiple sealing, thereby improving sealing performance.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting base 22 is fixed to the inner panel 3a via a mounting clip 34 inserted through at least one of the slits 29, thereby making effective use of the slits.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and for example, the protrusions 31 to 33 may be formed along the entire periphery of each of the outer opening edges 28a to 30a of the slits 28 to 30. Also, it is possible to form two or four or more slits.

[0033] The molded door weatherstrip 21 can be molded entirely from either hard or soft rubber or resin materials, including the mounting base 22 and hollow seal portion 23. It is also possible to mold the mounting base 22 from a hard solid rubber material and the hollow seal portion from a soft sponge rubber material, but when demolding is considered, using the same material for all parts provides better demolding properties.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the door weather strip applied to the front door 1 has been described, but it can also be applied to a rear door, a hatchback door, etc.

[0035] As the door weather strip based on the embodiment described above, for example, the following aspects are conceivable.

[0036] That is, a preferred embodiment of the door weatherstrip according to the present invention is a door weatherstrip having a molded portion including a mounting base to be attached to a door panel of a vehicle door, and a hollow seal portion integral with the mounting base that elastically contacts the vehicle body panel when the door is closed, wherein a plurality of slits are formed in a base portion of the mounting base that contacts the door panel, the base portion having a protrusion provided on an outer opening edge of at least one of the slits.More preferably, the base portion of the mounting base has a plurality of sealing protrusions that are arranged parallel to the protrusions and contact the door panel.

[0037] More preferably, the protrusions are provided along the longitudinal direction on both sides in the width direction of the outer opening edge of each of the slits.

[0038] More preferably, the mounting base is fixed to the door panel via a mounting clip inserted through at least one of the slits.

[0039] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Front door (door) 2...Door body 3...Sash portion 3a...Inner panel (door panel) 3b...Outer panel (door panel) 6...Vehicle body panel 6a...Straight portion 11, 21...Door weather strip 11a...Extrusion-molded portion 11b...Mold-molded portion 22...Mounting base 23...Hollow seal portion 26...Base portion 26a...Bottom surface 26b...Outer surface 27a-27c...Seal protrusions 28-30...Slits 28a-30a...Outer opening edge 31-33...Protrusion 34...Mounting clip

Claims

1. A door weatherstrip having a molded part with a mounting base to be attached to a door panel of a vehicle door and a hollow seal part that is integral with the mounting base and elastically contacts the vehicle body panel when the door is closed, wherein a plurality of slits are formed and divided along the longitudinal direction at the base part of the mounting base that abuts against the door panel, and wherein a protrusion is provided on the outer opening edge of at least one of the slits.

2. A door weather strip as described in claim 1, characterized in that the base portion of the mounting base is provided with a plurality of sealing protrusions arranged parallel to the protrusions and abutting against the door panel.

3. A door weather strip as described in claim 1, characterized in that the protrusions are provided along the longitudinal direction on both sides in the width direction of the outer opening edge of each of the slits.

4. A door weather strip as described in claim 1, characterized in that the mounting base is fixed to the door panel via a mounting clip inserted through at least one of the slits.

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