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
1999-06-21
2001-06-12
Melius, Terry Lee (Department: 3628)
Seal for a joint or juncture
Seal between fixed parts or static contact against...
Contact seal for other than internal combustion engine, or...
C277S644000, C277S645000, C277S648000, C277S921000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244601
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a sealing system having at least one sealing profiled section for the roof frame of a hard-top, coupe, or a folding soft top for a convertible.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In one known sealing system of this type (shown in German utility model DE 295 09 880 U1, FIG.7) elastomer sealing lips are injected only onto free longitudinal edges of the legs of the reinforcement which is injection molded from plastics material. The sealing lips are in sealing contact on the one hand permanently with the material of a folding soft top and on the other hand, upon closure of a window, with the lateral surfaces of the window glass. A terminating closure of this sealing profile at the end face is not apparent.
From published German patent application DE 43 20 330 A1, FIG.2, there is known per se a sealing system which is closable by a snap connection and whose reinforcement can consist of metal or plastics material. The sealing system extends linearly in the installed state (FIG. 1) and is manufactured by coextrusion and then cut to length. The cutting to length contaminates the end-face ends which must then be expensively cleaned before they are made ready to be fitted.
In German Patent DE 36 44 283 C1 the ball socket and the complementary ball-shaped end piece are not formed on the open end-faces of the opposing sealing sections. On the contrary, these parts are connected to the sealing sections by adhesive or by vulcanization. These methods of connection require an additional, economically disadvantageous working step.
From German Patent DE 43 44 373 C1 it is known per se, for a convertible soft top, to provide hollow profiled seals which follow each other in succession, each with so-called sealing heads on the opposing end faces. In the closed state of the folding roof or soft top respective adjacent sealing heads contact one another sealingly with compressive force. According to column 4, lines 29 to 31, the sealing heads are each formed on the end-face ends of the hollow profiled seals. In the description it is not apparent however how this forming should take place. Clearly, for the hollow profiled seals, one is talking here about extruded profiles which after the forming of the sealing heads are deformed and fitted only two dimensionally. This deformation takes place in a further, additional working step such that the hollow profiled seals are “latched” into a metallic sealing rail, as is evident from the details of FIG.5. The metallic sealing rail is mounted beforehand on the roof shell or on a roof frame part with fastening members in a separate fitting process.
From published European application EP 0 521 611 A1 it is known per se initially to mount a metallic retaining profile on the roof frame of the motor vehicle in a manner which is not shown in detail. Subsequently, an extruded sealing profile is “latched” into the retaining rail. In the case of a convertible as shown in FIG.3, the individual sections of the sealing system are each provided with a foam rubber cap on the end faces which face one another. Adjacent foam rubber caps are pressed sealingly against one another when the soft top is closed (FIG.3). In the application it is not evidence how the foam rubber caps are mounted on the sealing profile.
From published French application FR 2 613 414 A1 it is known per se to manufacture a comparatively hard insert profile separately and to latch this to the sealing profile in a separate working step. The combination profile which is thus made is subsequently connected to the bodywork by means of fastening members.
In published German patent publication DE 40 38 694 A1, specially shaped end pieces are vulcanized on to tubular sections. However, the end pieces do not sealingly close off the end faces of the tubular sections in the sense of an end cap. On the contrary, the internal chamber of each tubular section issues at the end face of the associated end piece.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to improve the accuracy of dimensions and shape of three-dimensional shaped sealing profiled sections inclusive of their at least one end cap, and to simplify their manufacture.
This object is achieved by forming each sealing profiled section of at least one elastomer which is reinforced by a reinforcement. The reinforcement is formed as prefabricated injection molded plastics material part in a molding tool. The reinforcement is provided at least on a part of its external surface with the profile strip. The reinforcement has an essentially U-shaped cross section over at least approximately its entire length. The sealing system is three dimensional and is arranged to be secured to connecting pieces of the roof frame by fastening members. An end cap is formed on at least one end face of each sealing profiled section in the molding tool. The sealing system can be made as one piece or in several parts. Thus, for example, for a hardtop or a coupe there would be only one sealing profiled section extending from the A-pillar up to and including the C-pillar, whereas in the case of a folding soft top of a convertible it would have several sealing profiled sections. The prefabricated reinforcement permits manufacture in the most complex three-dimensional forms very accurately in terms of dimensions and shape. Subsequently, in the molding tool, the profile strip of at least one elastomer and also the at least one end cap can be formed with the same accuracy. The finished sealing profiled section can be fitted to the associated motor vehicle basically without any subsequent deformation. Any such deformation would produce undesirable stresses in the sealing profiled section and the danger that the profile strip would no longer provide a perfect seal. Nevertheless, the finished sealing profiled section is flexible within limits, in order to be able to take up tolerances in the vehicle structure during the fitting operation. The simultaneous formation of the at least one end cap on the sealing profiled section avoids a separate working step and enhances the dimensional and matching accuracy of the finished sealing profiled section.
For a particularly speedy and reliable fitting of the sealing profiled section, at least two of the fastening members are fixed to the reinforcement, spaced from one another. In the fitting of each sealing profiled section, each retaining member is pushed through a fitting hole of the associated connecting piece and is axially fixed relative to the connecting piece. Preferably, each retaining member is formed as a screw bolt which is axially securable by a nut.
One can achieve a particularly simple and advantageous sealing of the sideglass in the upper region of the roof frame with the exception of the C-pillar section by using a tubular profile which is closed in the circumferential direction and which extends out over free longitudinal edges of the reinforcement.
Additional sealing of the connecting piece is afforded by a sealing lip which extends laterally and cooperates sealingly with the connecting piece.
The sealing profiled section can be adjusted quickly and reliably during the fitting process because each fitting hole is preferably an elongate hole having a longitudinal axis extending transversely to a longitudinal axis of the associated sealing profiled section.
A trouble-free sealing even in the case of the critical C-pillar section is obtained by having the profile strip formed of sealing lips which extend out over free longitudinal edges of the reinforcement. Here, the reinforcement can have holes for fastening elements made before the addition of the profile strip, and by means of which the C-pillar section is subsequently fitted to the roof frame. Holes in the profile strip are in alignment with these holes in the reinforcement. These holes are preferably made in the molding tool during the formation of the profile strip on the reinforcement. By these means the fitting of the sealing profiled section is facilitated. By the enlargement of the leg height of the reinforcement
Anders Jens
Buchholz Hans-Volker
Melius Terry Lee
Meteor Gummiwerke K.H. Badge GmbH & Co.
Santos Robert G.
Synnestvedt & Lechner LLP
LandOfFree
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