Seal for a joint or juncture – Seal between fixed parts or static contact against... – Contact seal for other than internal combustion engine – or...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-25
2003-01-07
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Seal for a joint or juncture
Seal between fixed parts or static contact against...
Contact seal for other than internal combustion engine, or...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502832
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive seal component such as a weather strip adapted to be mounted on a door of a vehicle.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 2000-18915 and 2000-51532, which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an automotive seal component is mounted around a circumference of a window glass of a door of a vehicle with a view to guiding the up and down movement of the window glass and to preventing the intrusion of water, dust, noise or the like from the outside into the inside of the vehicle.
FIG. 6
shows such an automotive seal component. This automotive seal component is provided around the circumference of the window glass of the door of the vehicle and comprises a glass run portion
101
mounted on a window frame of the door and an inner weather strip
102
, which is disposed along a belt line portion of the door. Front and rear ends of the inner weather strip
102
are integrally connected to the glass run portion
101
provided at the front and rear sides of the inner weather strip
102
via molded portions
103
, respectively. Additionally, the glass run portion
101
has a pair of seal lips
105
,
106
adapted to sliding contact sides of a window glass
104
. On the other hand, the inner weather strip
102
is disposed along the belt line portion of the door or a flange portion of a door panel constituting a horizontal frame portion on a lower side of the window frame. This inner weather strip
102
has a trim portion
107
fixed to the flange portion and seal lips
108
,
108
which are brought into sliding contact with one side of the window glass
104
together with the trim portion (refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-25976).
According to above described art, however, the molded portion
103
has a lip portion
103
a
continuous with the vertically extending seal lip
105
of the glass run portion
101
and lip portions
103
b,
103
b
continuous, respectively, with the horizontally extending seal lips
108
,
108
of the inner weather strip
102
. In other words, the glass run portion
101
and the inner weather strip portion
102
are made integral via the molded portion
103
such that end portions of the respective lip portions
103
b
connect with the lip portion
103
a.
Due to this, a portion is formed in the molded portion
103
where the continuity between a seal line
109
where the seal lip
105
comes into sliding contact with one side of the window glass
104
and seal lines
110
where the seal lips
108
come into sliding contact with the one side of the window glass
104
disconnects or both the seal line
109
and the seal lines
108
are not continuous with each other. Namely, a gap
111
(a portion where the continuity of the seal lines is cut) as shown in
FIG. 7
is formed. Thus, there is caused a problem that the gap so formed eventually allows external noise such as wind and tire noise to intrude therethrough into the passenger compartment of the vehicle while the vehicle is running.
Further, another example of the automotive seal component is described hereinafter.
As shown in
FIG. 9
, a continuous weather strip (hereinafter, referred to as a “glass run”)
5
is mounted on a door frame
1
and a window frame (not shown) of a vehicle which widow frame extends between door panels at front and rear ends thereof. As shown in
FIG. 10
, the glass run
5
comprises seal lips
52
for holding therebetween a circumference of a window glass
104
that are formed along distal sides of facing side walls
51
of a main body
50
which has a substantially U-shaped cross section, whereby the window glass
104
is guided up and down movement, and the window glass
104
is sealed at the circumference thereof when the window glass
104
is closed.
Additionally, as shown in
FIGS. 9 and 11
, glass weather strips (hereinafter, referred to as a “inner weather strip or outer weather strip”)
6
A,
6
B each provided with double seal lips which are arranged vertically (or with a single seal lip) are mounted on upper edges (belt lines) of a door inner plate
2
and a door outer plate (not shown), respectively, and the seal lips
61
,
62
hold the window glass
104
from both sides thereof and wipe the surfaces of the window glass
104
when it moves up and down.
The inner weather strip
6
A inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle is generally used to mount on the inner door panel
2
by bringing the front and rear ends thereof into abutment with front and rear vertical portions of the glass run
5
. Recently, however, as shown in
FIGS. 8A and 9
, a construction has come to be adopted in which the ends and the vertical portions are connected together to be made integral through molding.
To carry out the molding connection, the glass run
5
and the ends of the inner weather strip
6
A are set inside assembled mold members in such a manner as to face each other substantially at right angles via a cavity, and thereafter a molding material is injected into the cavity to thereby form molded connecting portions
7
each provided with the seal lips
71
constituting extensions to the seal lips
61
of the inner weather strip
6
A as shown in FIG.
12
. In this case, to facilitate the release of the mold members after molding is completed, the mold members are assembled together such that parting lines (dividing surfaces) between the mold members match distal end lines of the seal lips
71
.
It is inevitable that burrs are produced on molded products along the parting lines when molding is carried out using the assembled mold members. In a case where the molded connecting portion
7
is molded, as shown in
FIG. 12
, burrs
8
are formed on the distal end lines of the seal lips
71
. It is difficult to perfectly cut the burrs
8
so produced, and therefore they are brought into contact with the surface of the window glass
104
. When the window glass
104
moves up and down, the burrs
8
start to get worn from distal ends thereof, and fine worn particles stick to the surface of the window glass, whereby not only doest the surface of the glass window get dirty but also the sliding resistance is increased, leading to a risk that the up and down movement of the window glass
104
is disrupted. To cope with this, they make it a practice to apply a lubricant to the surface of the molded connecting portion
7
, but it is difficult for the lubricant to be securely applied to distal ends of the burrs
8
, and therefore it is not possible to attain intended effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of the aforesaid circumference, and an object thereof is to provide an automotive seal component such as a weather strip which can improve the quietness inside the passenger compartment while the vehicle is running by improving the sealing properties of the automotive seal component relative to a window glass of a door of the vehicle.
Another object thereof is to provide a weather strip which can eliminate a risk that the burrs produced on the seal lips of the molded connecting portion which connects the inner weather strip to the glass run deteriorate the window glass wiping capability of the seal lips and/or increase the resistance against the sliding window glass.
With a view to attaining the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an automotive seal component in which a glass run portion provided along a circumference of a window glass of a door and mounted on a window frame of the door and front and rear ends of an inner weather strip disposed along a belt line portion are made integral via molded portions, the automotive seal component being characterized in that the molded portions each have provided thereon a seal lip portion adapted to be brought into sliding contact with one side of the window glass and to continuously connect a seal lip of the glass run portion with a seal lip of the inner weather strip.
According to the fir
Goto Teruhito
Yamaguchi Yuzuru
Schwing Karlena D.
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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