Glass run for motor vehicle

Details Glass run for motor vehicle Glass run for motor vehicle

2001-08-28

2003-12-30

Thompson, Hugh B. (Department: 3634)

Movable or removable closures

With means mounting closure for reciprocation

Diverse or springy material guide or slide

C049S489100, C296S146200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06668488

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-260231, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glass run for attachment to a door of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional glass run
10
is attached to a door frame
12
around a window opening of a vehicle door
14
and frame members
16
a,
18
a
which extend from the lower ends of a front vertical portion
16
and a rear vertical portion
18
of the door frame
12
into a door panel of the vehicle door
14
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the conventional glass run
10
includes a main body
20
having a generally U-shaped cross-section, and seal lips
22
and
24
which extend obliquely inwardly from open ends of side walls
26
and
28
of the main body
20
.
A channel
30
having a generally U-shaped cross-section is provided along an inner periphery of the door frame
12
. The frame members
16
a,
18
a
in the door panel also have a cross-section substantially identical to that of the channel
30
.
The glass run
10
is attached into the channel
30
of the door frame
12
as well as the frame members
16
a
,
18
a
extending into the door panel. The glass run
10
serves to guide a door glass
32
as it is raised and lowered, and form a seal between a periphery of the door glass
32
and the door frame
12
when the door glass
32
is raised to close the window opening of the vehicle door
14
.
The glass run, particularly the substantially vertical portions, is required to provide low sliding resistance against the door glass as it is raised and lowered therealong. To achieve this low sliding resistance, films of various lubricating agents have been formed on at least the contact surfaces of the seal lips. With this reliance on lubricating films, however, the sliding resistance may still exhibit undesirable increases.
In a conventional arrangement, the increase in the sliding resistance is mainly caused by the door glass pushing the seal lips toward facing side walls of the glass run so that projecting ends of the seal lips are pressed against an inside surface of at least one of side walls.
The door glass and the door frame are generally arranged to curve gently in conformity with a side surface profile of the vehicle body, and to incline the top portion toward the interior of the vehicle body. Accordingly, an inevitable difference in curvature is created between at least portions of the door frame and the door glass. Further, variations in the attachment position of the door glass may also occur, causing the door glass as it is raised or lowered along the glass run to be offset toward at least one of side walls. Consequently, the projecting end of one seal lip will be pressed against a facing side wall.
In particular, where, as shown in FIG.
2
(A), the seal lip
22
of the glass run
10
is longer than the seal lip
24
, the longer seal lip
22
is pushed by the door glass
32
so that, as shown in FIG.
2
(B), a projecting end
22
a
of the seal lip
22
is strongly pressed on the inside surface of the side wall
26
, and consequently, the projecting end
22
a
of the seal lip
22
will not slide easily along the inside surface of the side wall
26
toward a bottom wall of main body
20
. When this occurs, the door glass
32
is unable to push the seal lip
22
further toward the side wall
26
, resulting in an increased pressing force between the door glass
32
and the seal lip
22
that increases the sliding resistance of the glass run
10
against the door glass
32
.
Furthermore, where, as shown in FIG.
2
(A), the side walls
26
and
28
are tapered to gradually decrease the distance therebetween toward the bottom wall of the main body
20
, the projecting end
22
a
of seal lip
22
becomes more difficult to move along the inside surface of the side wall
26
, thereby further increasing the sliding resistance between the glass run
10
and the door glass
32
.
One option to prevent this increase in the sliding resistance, is to decrease the thickness of the side wall
26
, thereby enlarging the distance between the projecting end
22
a
of the seal lip
22
and the inside surface of the side wall
26
. With this arrangement, however, the thin side wall
26
tends to be undesirably deformed as the seal lip
22
is gradually pushed by the door glass
32
toward the side wall
26
.
Another option is to decrease the thickness of the projecting end
22
a
of the seal lip
22
, thereby reducing the force of the seal lip
22
against the inside surface of the side wall
26
resulting from the same displacement. With this arrangement, however, the durability of the seal lip
22
is reduced and undesirable undulations may occur along the thin projecting end of the seal lip
22
with the passing of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a glass run capable of preventing an increase in a sliding resistance of a glass run against a door glass even when the door glass is offset toward one of side walls of the glass run causing a projecting end of one of seal lips to press against an inside surface of the side wall.
The glass run of the present invention has a main body with a generally U-shaped cross section, which is configured to be attached into a channel provided along an inner periphery of a door frame, and a pair of seal lips which extend obliquely inwardly from open ends of side walls of the main body for holding a periphery of a door glass from both sides. An inclined surface is formed in one part of inside surfaces of the side walls of the main body, which ranges from the position corresponding to an projecting end of a facing seal lip to a bottom end of the side wall. The inclined surface is defined such that the distance between the inclined surface and a facing surface of the door glass which is held by the pair of seal lips gradually increases toward the bottom end of the side wall. When the door glass presses the projecting end of the seal lip on the inside surface of the side wall, the projecting end can move smoothly along the inclined surface toward the bottom wall, thereby minimizing any increase in the sliding resistance of between the door glass and the glass run.
The present invention can be preferably applied to a glass run of which the side walls are tapered to gradually decrease the distance therebetween toward the bottom wall of the main body.
In addition, the present invention can be preferably applied to a glass run of which one seal lip is longer than the other seal lip.
Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification.


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