Automotive weather strip

Abstract

This automotive weather strip is provided with a mounting base portion 22 which is mounted on a flange portion 05 formed along a door opening edge of a vehicle body and which has a vehicle interior side wall 23 and a vehicle exterior side wall 24, a hollow seal portion 26 which is provided integrally on the outer surface of the vehicle exterior side wall and is brought into resilient contact with a door, and a linear support wall 31 which is provided inside the hollow seal portion and which divides the same into a vehicle interior seal portion 29 and a vehicle exterior seal portion 30, wherein, when water pressure acts on the outer surface of the vehicle exterior seal portion on the opposite side to a first protruding portion 32 provided on the outer surface, the water pressure causes a pressing force that acts on a door panel 06 to be imparted to the first protruding portion via the support wall.　With this configuration, it is possible to improve the sealing performance of the hollow seal portion and suppress ingress of water into the vehicle by utilizing the water pressure to impart a force causing the support wall to press the protruding portion against the door panel, while suppressing a deterioration in the door closing performance.

Description

Weatherstrip for Automobile

[0001] The present invention relates to a weatherstrip for an automobile that is attached to the periphery of a door opening on the vehicle body side and elastically contacts the periphery of the door to seal the inside and outside of the vehicle cabin.

[0002] As a conventional weatherstrip for an automobile (hereinafter simply referred to as a weatherstrip) in this type of door opening, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile to which the weatherstrip of the present invention and a conventional automobile weatherstrip are applied, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line A - A of FIG. 1 showing a conventional automobile weatherstrip in a door - open state, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line A - A of FIG. 1 showing a conventional automobile weatherstrip when the door is closed.

[0004] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the conventional weatherstrip 1 described in this publication is attached to a flange portion 05 formed by overlapping a plurality of metal panels 04 formed along the periphery of a door opening 03 of, for example, a front door 02 on the vehicle body of an automobile 01. Although a weatherstrip 1' having the same structure is also provided at the periphery of the door opening 03' of the rear door 02', hereinafter, the weatherstrip 1 attached to the door opening 03 on the front door 02 side will be described.

[0005] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this weatherstrip 1 has an inverted U - shaped mounting base 2 that is inserted and fitted into the tip of the flange portion 05 and has an inner - side wall 3, an outer - side wall 4, and a connecting wall 5 that connects both side walls 3 and 4, and a hollow seal portion 6 made of sponge rubber material that is integrally provided on the outer surface of the outer - side wall 4 of the mounting base 2 and elastically contacts the door panel 06 at the periphery of the front door 02 when the front door 02 is closed.

[0006] The mounting base 2 has a plurality of protruding portions 7 integrally provided on the inner surface of the outer side wall 4 of the vehicle, which abut against the outer side surface of the flange portion 05. On the other hand, a retaining lip 8 is provided protruding toward the outer side wall 4 from the inner surface of the lower end of the inner side wall 3 opposite to the connecting wall 5, and the flange portion 05 is held in a clamped state by each of the protruding portions 7 and the retaining lip 8.

[0007] The hollow seal portion 6 is designed to flex and deform under the pressing force of the door panel 06 of the front door 02 when the door is closed, and a bridge 9 is provided inside it so as to cross it. In its free state, the bridge 9 is bent into a roughly V-shape in cross-section, with one end 9a connected to the opening end of the outer side wall 4 of the mounting base 2, and the other end 9b connected to a portion of the outer wall of the hollow seal portion 6 that is adjacent to the inclined surface that avoids the main contact surface of the door panel 06 of the front door 02 when the door is closed.

[0008] Therefore, when the door is closed, as shown in Figure 5, the door panel 06 of the front door 02 is pressed against the outer wall of the hollow seal portion 6. At this time, the bridge 9 further bends into a V-shape, and the connection portion of the other end 9b to the outer wall always abuts against the inclined surface. As a result, the buckling load of the bridge 9 is reduced, and the closing performance of the front door 02 is improved.

[0009] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-142266 (see Figure 1)

[0010] In the conventional automotive weatherstrip described above, as mentioned earlier, when the front door 02 is closed, the door panel 06 of the front door 02 is pressed against the hollow seal portion 6. Due to this pressing force, the bridge 9 bends into a roughly V-shape, and insufficient elastic reaction force is applied to the hollow seal portion 6 to return it to its original shape. As a result, the pressing force on the door panel 06 of the hollow seal portion 6 is reduced, and sufficient sealing pressure cannot be obtained.

[0011] As a result, for example, in the event of a natural disaster such as a river overflowing due to flooding, if the road is submerged and the lower parts of each door 02, 02' of the automobile 01 are submerged in water, the water pressure applied to the lower outer surface of the hollow seal portion 6 may create a gap between the hollow seal portion 6 and the door panel 06, potentially allowing water to enter the vehicle.

[0012] The present invention was devised in view of the technical problems of the conventional automotive weatherstrips, and aims to provide an automotive weatherstrip that suppresses deterioration of door closing performance under normal conditions, and when the lower part of the vehicle door is submerged in water and this water pressure is applied to the hollow seal portion, the water pressure is used to increase the pressing force of the projection of the support wall against the door panel, thereby improving the sealing performance.

[0013] The invention described in claim 1 of this application is an automotive weatherstrip comprising: a mounting base attached to a flange portion formed along the door opening edge of a vehicle body, having an inner side wall, an outer side wall, and a connecting wall connecting the two side walls; and a hollow seal portion integrally provided on the outer surface of the outer side wall, to which the door panel elastically contacts when the door is closed, wherein a linear support wall is provided inside the hollow seal portion, dividing it into an inner seal portion on the outer side wall side and an outer seal portion located at the tip end of the hollow seal portion, to which the door panel abuts; a projection is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion at the portion to which one end of the support wall is joined, to which the door panel abuts when the door is closed; and when water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the outer seal portion opposite to the projection, this water pressure applies a pressing force to the projection via the support wall against the door panel.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 1 of this application, while suppressing deterioration of door closing performance under normal conditions when no water pressure is applied to the hollow seal portion, when water pressure is applied to the hollow seal portion, the pressing force of the projection portion by the support wall against the door panel increases, thereby improving sealing performance.

[0015] This is a perspective view of an automobile to which the present invention and conventional automotive weatherstrips are applied. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing an embodiment of the automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention with the door open. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing the automotive weatherstrip of this embodiment with the door closed. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing a conventional automotive weatherstrip with the door open. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing a conventional automotive weatherstrip with the door closed.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This weatherstrip is applied to the periphery of the door openings of the front and rear doors of a vehicle body, just like the conventional one described above. However, for the sake of explanation, the following description will focus on the weatherstrip attached to the periphery of the door opening 03 of the front door 02.

[0017] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing an embodiment of the automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention with the door in the open position, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing the automotive weatherstrip of this embodiment with the door closed.

[0018] As described above, the weatherstrip 21 is attached to a flange portion 05 formed along the periphery of the door opening 03 of the front door 02 of the automobile 01 shown in Figure 1. This flange portion 05 is formed by overlapping, for example, three metal panels 04 and joining them intermittently in the longitudinal direction by spot welding or the like. The weatherstrip 21 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, has an inverted U-shaped mounting base portion 22 that fits into the flange portion 05 and has an inner side wall 23, an outer side wall 24 and a connecting wall 25 that connects these two side walls 23 and 24, and a hollow sealing portion 26 that is integrally provided on the outer surface of the outer side wall 24 of the mounting base portion 22 and elastically contacts, for example, a door panel 06 provided on the periphery of the front door 02 when the front door 02 is closed.

[0019] The mounting base 22 is integrally molded from a hard rubber or hard resin material to ensure rigidity, and a metal core material 22a with a U-shaped cross-section is embedded inside. The mounting base 22 has upper and lower retaining lips 23a and 23b projecting toward the outer side wall 24 from the inner surface of the inner side wall 23, and three protruding portions 24a projecting toward the inner side wall 23 from the inner surface of the outer side wall 24, and one retaining lip 24b made of sponge material integrally provided at the lowest end of the inner surface of the outer side wall 24 in the figure.

[0020] Therefore, when the mounting base 22 is fitted onto the flange portion 05, the tips of the two retaining lips 23a and 23b, the three protruding portions 24a, and the tip of the one retaining lip 24b elastically contact the inner and outer sides of the flange portion 05 in a clamping manner, thereby holding the mounting base 22 to the flange portion 05.

[0021] Furthermore, a cover lip 27 extending toward the interior of the vehicle is integrally provided between the connecting wall 25 of the mounting base 22 and the interior side wall 23. This cover lip 27 covers the leading edge of interior materials 28 such as door trims and garnishes that extend from the interior of the vehicle toward the interior side wall 23.

[0022] The hollow seal portion 26 is formed integrally from sponge material, as shown in Figure 2 in its free state, and is tapered from both ends 26a and 26b, which are integrally bonded to the outer surface of the outer side wall 24 of the vehicle, to the tip 26c. One end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26 is bonded to the lower end of the outer side wall 24 in Figure 2, while the other end 26b is bonded to the connecting wall 25 of the outer side wall 24 of the vehicle.

[0023] Furthermore, a linear support wall 31 is provided inside the hollow seal portion 26, dividing it into an interior seal portion 29 at both ends 26a and 26b and an exterior seal portion 30 at the front end 26c. Specifically, this support wall 31 is made of sponge rubber material, just like the hollow seal portion 26, and in the free state when the front door 02 is open, as shown in Figure 2, it is formed as a linear, elongated plate shape crossing the interior at the central position inside the hollow seal portion 26, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the weatherstrip 21. The support wall 31 is positioned to divide the hollow seal portion 26 from approximately the center inside to the interior seal portion 29 at both ends 26a and 26b, and the exterior seal portion 30 at the front end 26c, where the door panel 06 elastically contacts when the front door 02 is closed.

[0024] Furthermore, in the free state of the hollow seal portion 26 shown in Figure 2, the support wall 31 is formed in an inclined shape from one end 31a on the vehicle side, which is connected to the inner surface of the hollow seal portion 26, to the other end 31b on the vehicle side, which is the other end. In other words, the support wall 31 is formed in an inclined shape from one end 31a to the other end 31b at a predetermined angle θ away from the outer side wall 24, with reference to a line P that is substantially parallel to the outer surface of the outer side wall 24.

[0025] Furthermore, a first projection 32 is integrally provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion 26 at the location where the other end 31b of the support wall 31 is joined, and a second projection 33 is integrally provided on the same plane as the first projection 32 and on the tip end 26c side. These first and second projections 32 and 33 are formed in a substantially triangular shape in cross-section from the same sponge rubber material as the hollow seal portion 26, and extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the hollow seal portion 26, with their respective apex points set to the same height.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, when the front door 02 is closed, the hollow seal portion 26 elastically contacts the outer surface of the outer seal portion 30 on one side 30a of the front end portion 26c of the door panel 06, causing the outer seal portion 30 to be crushed and deformed. At this point, the first projection 32 and the second projection 33 together elastically contact the outer surface of the door panel 06.

[0027] Furthermore, with the front door 02 shown in Figure 3 closed, for example, in the event of a natural disaster such as a flood, if the road is submerged and the lower parts of each door 02, 02' of the automobile 01 are submerged in water, and this water pressure W (thin black arrow in the figure) is applied to the outer surface of the other side 30b of the exterior seal portion 30, this water pressure W is configured to act on the support wall 31, causing a force to press the first projection 32, as shown by the thick black arrow in Figure 3, toward the outer surface of the door panel 06.

[0028] Furthermore, the hollow seal portion 26 has a lip portion 34 integrally provided on the outer surface of the other end 26b side, with its tip portion 34a in contact with the outer surface of the connecting wall 25. A space portion 35 is formed between this lip portion 34 and the other end 26b of the hollow seal portion 26. As shown in Figure 3, when the front door 02 is closed, if the tip portion 26c side (vehicle-side seal portion 30 side) of the hollow seal portion 26 is crushed and deformed, the tip portion 34a of the lip portion 34 contacts the outer surface of the connecting wall 25 and braces, thereby maintaining the linear posture of the support wall 31 from one end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26. [Effects of the weatherstrip according to this embodiment] The effects of the weatherstrip 21 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0029] In this embodiment, the weatherstrip 21, starting from the free state of the hollow seal portion 26 shown in Figure 2, becomes, as shown in Figure 3, when the front door 02 is closed, elastically contacts the door panel 06 with the exterior seal portion 30 of the hollow seal portion 26, causing it to deform and collapse. As a result, one side 30a of the exterior seal portion 30 and the first and second projections 32 and 33 come into elastic contact with the outer surface of the door panel 06.

[0030] In this normal state, no pressing force is applied from the linear support wall 31 to the first projection 32, that is, no large pressing force is applied by the first projection 32 to the outer surface of the door panel 06. Therefore, deterioration of the door closing performance when the front door 02 is closed can be suppressed.

[0031] Furthermore, when the front door 02 is closed, for example, if the road is flooded due to a river overflowing and the lower parts of each door 02, 02' of the automobile 01 are submerged in water, this water pressure W acts on the outer surface of the other side 30b of the outer side seal portion 30 of the hollow seal portion 26, as shown by the thin arrow in Figure 3. As a result, this water pressure W acts on the support wall 31, causing a pressing force to act on the first projection 32 toward the door panel 06, as shown by the thick arrow in Figure 3. Therefore, the pressure force (sealing pressure) applied by the first projection 32 toward the outer surface of the door panel 06 increases, improving the sealing performance. Consequently, the water that has entered the lower parts of each door 02, 02' of the automobile 01 is sealed by the strong pressure force applied by the first projection 32 toward the door panel 06, as well as by one side 30a of the outer side seal portion 30 and the second projection 33 in the surrounding area, effectively preventing it from entering the vehicle.

[0032] In particular, in this embodiment, by forming the support wall 31 inclined from the inside to the outside of the vehicle, when the water pressure W that has entered the lower part of each door 02, 02' is applied to the outer surface of the other side 30b of the outer seal portion 30, this water pressure W is more likely to act from one end 31a of the support wall 31 towards the first projection 32 on the other end 31b side via one end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26. As a result, the pressing force of the first projection 32 against the outer surface of the door panel 06 when the door is closed increases, improving watertightness and ensuring sufficient sealing pressure. As a result, it becomes possible to more effectively prevent water from entering the vehicle.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a second projection 33 is provided on the outer surface of the exterior sealing portion 30 in addition to the first projection 32, even if there are variations in the mounting accuracy of the weatherstrip 21 to the flange portion 05 of the door opening edge of the vehicle body or in the assembly accuracy of the vehicle body, when the front door 02 is closed, the first projection 32 and the second projection 33 are pressed against the outer surface of the door panel 06, and the variations are absorbed by a double seal, thereby ensuring stable sealing performance.

[0034] Furthermore, when the front door 02 is closed, if the outer side of the hollow seal portion 26 on the vehicle side seal portion 30 is crushed and deformed, the tip portion 34a of the lip portion 34 abuts against the upper surface of the connecting wall 25 and braces itself, thereby maintaining the linear position of the support wall 31 from one end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26. As a result, the water pressure W is more easily transmitted to the first projection portion 32 via the support wall 31.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments described above, and can be applied to vehicles other than ordinary passenger cars, such as hatchback and sliding-door passenger cars.

[0036] Furthermore, the support wall 31 can be made of a slightly harder sponge rubber or resin material instead of soft sponge rubber, and its thickness can be appropriately changed according to the specifications and size of the vehicle.

[0037] Furthermore, the water pressure acting on the exterior seal portion of the hollow seal portion includes not only cases where the vehicle 01 is submerged in water due to natural disasters such as floods, but also, for example, the water pressure from car wash water.

[0038] Examples of automotive weatherstrips based on the embodiments described above include those described below.

[0039] One embodiment of the automotive weatherstrip comprises: a mounting base attached to a flange portion formed along the door opening edge of the vehicle body, having an inner side wall, an outer side wall, and a connecting wall connecting the two side walls; and a hollow seal portion integrally provided on the outer surface of the outer side wall, to which the door panel elastically contacts when the door is closed. The weatherstrip is characterized in that a linear support wall is provided inside the hollow seal portion, dividing it into an inner seal portion on the outer side wall side and an outer seal portion at the tip of the hollow seal portion to which the door panel contacts; a projection is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion at the portion to which one end of the support wall is joined, to which the door panel contacts when the door is closed; and when water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the outer seal portion opposite to the projection, this water pressure applies a pressing force to the projection via the support wall against the door panel.

[0040] According to an aspect of the present invention, for example, when the lower part of a car door is immersed in water and water pressure is applied to the weatherstrip, that is, when water pressure is applied to the outer surface on the opposite side of the protrusion of the outer seal part of the hollow seal part, a pressing force in the direction of the door panel acts on the protrusion through the support wall due to this water pressure. Therefore, since the pressure contact force of the protrusion against the door panel increases and the sealing performance improves, water intrusion into the vehicle interior can be effectively prevented.

[0041] On the other hand, during normal times when water pressure is not applied to the outer seal part, since the pressing force from the linear support wall to the protrusion, that is, a large pressing force of the protrusion against the door panel does not act, deterioration of the door closing property can be suppressed.

[0042] More preferably, the support wall is formed in an inclined shape so as to be away from the outer side wall in the direction of the other end, which is the one end on the outer side of the vehicle, from the one end on the inner side of the vehicle coupled to the inner surface of the hollow seal part.

[0043] According to an aspect of the present invention, by forming the support wall in an inclined shape so as to be away from the outer side wall from the inner side of the vehicle toward the outside of the vehicle, when water pressure is applied to the outer surface on the opposite side of the protrusion of the outer seal part of the hollow seal part, this pressure acts from the one end side of the support wall toward the protrusion of the other end. Therefore, since the pressing force of the protrusion against the door panel in the door closed state increases and the watertightness improves, sufficient sealing pressure can be ensured.

[0044] More preferably, a second protrusion that abuts against the door panel when the door is closed is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal part, on the outer surface on the tip side of the outer seal part rather than the protrusion.

[0045] According to an aspect of the present invention, even if there are variations in the mounting accuracy of the weatherstrip to the flange part of the door opening edge of the vehicle body, etc., when the door is closed, the two protrusions are pressure - contacted to the door panel and double sealing performance can be obtained, so that stable sealing performance can be ensured.

[0046] More preferably, the vehicle-side sealing portion of the hollow sealing portion has one end connected to the vicinity of the connecting wall of the vehicle-side side wall, and the other end connected to the end of the mounting base on the opening side of the vehicle-side side wall, and has a lip portion on the outer surface of the one end side, the tip of which abuts against the outer surface of the connecting wall.

[0047] 01...Automobile 02...Front door 03...Vehicle body opening 05...Flange section 06...Door panel 21...Automotive weatherstrip 22...Mounting base 23...Inside side wall 24...Outside side wall 25...Connecting wall 26...Hollow seal section 26a・26b...Both ends 26c...Tip 29...Inside seal section 30...Outside seal section 31...Support wall 31a...One end 31b...Other end (one end) 32...First projection 33...Second projection 34...Lip section 34a...Tip

Claims

1. An automotive weatherstrip comprising: a mounting base attached to a flange portion formed along the door opening edge of a vehicle body, having an inner side wall, an outer side wall, and a connecting wall connecting both side walls; and a hollow seal portion integrally provided on the outer surface of the outer side wall, to which the door panel elastically contacts when the door is closed, wherein a linear support wall is provided inside the hollow seal portion, dividing it into an inner seal portion on the outer side wall side and an outer seal portion located at the tip end of the hollow seal portion, to which the door panel abuts; a projection is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion at the portion to which one end of the support wall is joined, to which the door panel abuts when the door is closed; and when water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the outer seal portion opposite to the projection, this water pressure applies a pressing force to the projection via the support wall against the door panel.

2. The automotive weatherstrip according to claim 1, characterized in that the support wall is formed in an inclined shape so as to move away from the outer side wall from one end on the vehicle side which is coupled to the inner surface of the hollow seal portion to the other end which is the one end on the vehicle side.

3. An automotive weatherstrip as described in claim 1, characterized in that a second projection is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion, on the outer surface of the seal portion on the front end side of the outer side of the seal portion on the vehicle side than the projection, which the door panel contacts when the door is closed.

4. An automotive weatherstrip as described in claim 1, wherein the hollow sealing portion is characterized in that one end is connected to the vicinity of the connecting wall of the outer side wall of the vehicle, and the other end is connected to the end of the outer side wall of the vehicle near the opening of the mounting base, and the outer surface of the one end has a lip portion whose tip abuts against the outer surface of the connecting wall.

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