Automotive Door Seal Lip Overlap for Water Ingress Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing automotive door sealing members face issues with unsatisfactory sealing performance under high water pressure, leading to water ingress into the passenger compartment, due to differential deformation of the pillar-side and roof-side parts, which creates gaps and allows raindrops to enter.
Innovation Solution
The proposed automotive door sealing member features a roof-side part and a pillar-side part with seal lips that are designed to deform differently, with the roof-side seal lip protruding outward and the pillar-side seal lip extending vertically, allowing them to overlap and maintain contact when closed, thereby reducing water entry and improving sealing without degrading appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pillar-side part and roof-side part are designed to deform in different directions, then sealing performance is improved through elastic contact with the vehicle body, but water can flow up from the pillar side under high water pressure and enter the passenger compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member is divided into distinct functional zones: the roof-side part with roof-side seal lip for roof sealing, and the pillar-side part with pillar-side seal lip and water blocking part for pillar sealing and water blocking. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function independently, preventing water from flowing up the pillar side while maintaining overall sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The water blocking part acts as an intermediary element between the pillar-side seal lip and the passenger compartment. It specifically blocks the water passage that would otherwise allow water to flow up from the pillar side, while not interfering with the sealing function of the pillar-side seal lip.
2Reliability
If the pillar-side seal wall and roof-side seal wall are spaced apart to allow differential deformation, then sealing performance is achieved through elastic contact, but gaps are created that allow raindrops to enter
Solution Approach 1:
The seal lips are designed to overlap in the transverse direction when the door is closed, creating a multi-dimensional sealing approach. The roof-side seal lip extends in the front-rear direction and the pillar-side seal lip extends in the vertical direction, with their projections overlapping when viewed in the transverse direction. This overlapping configuration prevents raindrops from entering through gaps while allowing the seal walls to deform differently.
3Reliability
If the seal lips are designed to overlap and maintain contact when closed, then water ingress is prevented, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The water blocking part is integrally formed with the pillar-side seal wall, merging the water blocking function with the existing pillar-side structure. This integration reduces the number of separate components while achieving both sealing and water blocking functions, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances sealing performance by ensuring continuous contact between the seal lips, preventing water ingress and maintaining a seamless appearance, even under high water pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a roof-side seal lip that comes into elastic contact with the roof when the automotive door is closed, the roof-side seal lip protruding outward from the roof-side seal wall
Data Source
AI summary
Sealing performance is improved without deteriorating appearance. A pillar P side of a roof-side seal lip 34 and a roof R side of a pillar-side seal lip 43 are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction of a vehicle when a door 110 is open. The pillar P side of the roof-side seal lip 34 is formed so as to be closer to the roof R side of the pillar-side seal lip 43 toward an end of the pillar P side. When the door 110 is closed, the roof-side seal lip 34 comes into contact with the pillar-side seal lip 43.