U.S. patent application number 12/974010 was filed with the patent office on 2012-06-21 for automotive vehicle door seal.
This patent application is currently assigned to Honda Motor Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kenichi Kitayama, Masatoshi Mori.
Application Number | 20120153666 12/974010 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46233401 |
Filed Date | 2012-06-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120153666 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mori; Masatoshi ; et
al. |
June 21, 2012 |
AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE DOOR SEAL
Abstract
An automobile vehicle including a vehicle body having a passage
receiving a door. A plurality of sealing elements are located
between the door and the vehicle body. A first sealing element
having a resilient surface portion and a relatively more rigid body
portion shaped to engage a body flange is provided to seal an upper
region of the passage. A second sealing element comprising a
resilient section and a mating section adapted to mate with a door
panel is provided and cooperates with the vehicle body to seal the
lower region of the passage.
Inventors: |
Mori; Masatoshi; (Columbus,
OH) ; Kitayama; Kenichi; (Tochigi, JP) |
Assignee: |
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
46233401 |
Appl. No.: |
12/974010 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/146.9 ;
49/498.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60J 10/24 20160201;
B60J 10/86 20160201; B60J 10/84 20160201; B60J 10/36 20160201 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/146.9 ;
49/498.1 |
International
Class: |
B60J 10/08 20060101
B60J010/08; E06B 7/16 20060101 E06B007/16 |
Claims
1. An automotive vehicle including a vehicle body having a passage
receiving a door, at least two sealing elements located between
said door and the vehicle body, a first sealing element comprising
a resilient surface portion and a relatively more rigid body
portion shaped to engage a body flange and seal an upper region of
said passage, a second sealing element comprising a resilient
section and a mating section secured to said door and adapted to
seal a lower region of said passage in a closed door condition.
2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said more rigid body portion
comprises a generally "U" shaped channel.
3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said channel comprises metal
reinforced rubber and said mating section is secured to said door
via at least one clip.
4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said resilient surface portion
and said resilient section comprises elongated tubular areas.
5. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a door inner lining,
said lining including a pocket that receives an end of said second
sealing element.
6. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an interior lining
mated to said vehicle body, at least a portion of said interior
lining overlapping said body flange and forming a pocket that
receives an end of said first sealing element.
7. The vehicle of claim 5 including two door inner lining pockets,
each receiving an end of said second sealing element.
8. The vehicle of claim 6 including two interior lining pockets,
each receiving an end of said first sealing element.
9. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising, a door inner lining,
said lining including a pocket that receives an end of said second
sealing element and further comprising an interior lining mated to
said vehicle body, at least a portion of said interior lining
overlapping said body flange and forming a pocket that receives an
end of said first sealing element, wherein said door pocket
overlaps said first sealing element and said interior lining pocket
overlaps said second sealing element in a door closed
condition.
10. An automotive vehicle including a vehicle body having a flange
defining a passage, a door closing said passage, a first sealing
element having a flange receiving channel and a generally tubular
element, said sealing element having first and second ends and
covering an upper region of said flange, said body further
including an interior lining at least partially encompassing said
flange and forming a pair of pockets receiving said first and
second ends of the sealing element, a second sealing element having
a base adapted for mounting to a door and a tubular element
extending from said base, said door including an interior lining
defining pockets receiving ends of said second sealing element.
11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein said first and second sealing
elements are comprised of EPDM.
12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein said flange receiving channel
includes a first wall having dimple protrusions.
13. The vehicle of claim 12 wherein said channel includes a second
wall having an arm extending toward said first wall.
14. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein said second sealing element is
mounted to said door via a plurality of clips inserted through
holes.
15. A seal assembly for a motor vehicle door passage, said seal
including a body side component and a door side component, said
body side component comprised of a tubular section and a main body
section shaped to receive a flange, said door side component
comprised of a tubular section and a base adapted for mounting to a
substantially planar door edge, said body side component sealing an
upper region of said passage and said door side component sealing a
lower region of said passage.
16. The seal assembly of claim 15 including an interior lining
mated to said vehicle body, at least a portion of said interior
lining overlapping said flange and forming an inner pocket that
receives an end of said body side component.
17. The seal assembly of claim 16 including a door lining having a
pocket receiving an end of said door side component.
18. The seal assembly of claim 17 including two interior lining
pockets, each receiving an end of said body side component.
19. The seal assembly of claim 18 including two door lining
pockets, each receiving an end of said door side component.
20. The seal assembly of claim 19 wherein said door pocket overlaps
said body side component and said inner pocket overlaps said door
side component in a door closed condition.
21. An automotive vehicle including a vehicle body having a passage
receiving a door, and at least two sealing elements located between
said door and the vehicle body, a first sealing element comprising
a resilient surface portion and a relatively more rigid body
portion shaped to engage a body flange and seal an upper region of
said passage, a second sealing element comprising a resilient
section and a mating section adapted to mate with the door and seal
a lower region of said passage in a closed door condition, and an
interior lining mated to said body, wherein at least a portion of
the interior lining overlaps said body flange and forms a pocket
that receives an end of said first sealing element.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present exemplary embodiment relates to a seal structure
for a motor vehicle. It finds particular application in conjunction
with sealing the circumference of a motor vehicle door, and will be
described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be
appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable
to other like applications.
[0002] A weather strip seal is traditionally attached to one of an
edge of a door opening or a periphery of a door of a motor vehicle
to seal the joint between door and vehicle body. The weather strip
seal of this type is generally composed of a base portion attached
along one of an edge of a door opening and a periphery of a door,
and a tubular sealing portion projecting from the base portion
which contacts the opposing surface for effecting a seal.
[0003] Various forms of traditional door weather seals are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,946 and two are shown in FIGS.
1-3. Referring now to FIG. 1, a weather strip seal 1 is
continuously attached to one of an edge of a door 2 or the vehicle
body 3 of a motor vehicle. Referring in addition now to FIG. 2,
weather strip seal 1 includes a base portion 11 mounted to edge 5
of center pillar 4. A folded end portion 13 forms the tubular
sealing portion 12. The folded end portion 13 is continued to the
unfolded tubular portion through an inclined portion having a
height gradually increasing from the folded end portion 13 to the
unfolded tubular portion. This results in the thus formed tubular
sealing portion 12 naturally continuing from the folded end portion
13 to the unfolded tubular portion 12.
[0004] As shown in FIG. 3, an inner panel 10 of a door 2 has nearly
perpendicularly intersecting surfaces forming an L-shaped cross
section with each other along a periphery thereof. An extruded
weather strip 1A made of sponge rubber is attached to one of the
above two surfaces through a retainer 6. The weather strip 1A has a
thick-walled base portion 11 and a tubular sealing portion 12 which
are integrally formed by extrusion.
[0005] The present weather strip door seal embodiment
advantageously provides a weather strip door seal arrangement
having reduced manufacturing costs and enhanced durability.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0006] Various details of the present disclosure are hereinafter
summarized to provide a basic understanding. This summary is not an
extensive overview of the disclosure, and is intended neither to
identify certain elements of the disclosure, nor to delineate the
scope thereof. Rather, the primary purpose of this summary is to
present some concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form prior
to the more detailed description that is presented hereinafter.
[0007] According to one embodiment, an automotive vehicle including
a vehicle body having a passage receiving a door is described. At
least two sealing elements are located between the door and the
vehicle body. A first sealing element comprises a resilient surface
portion and a relatively more rigid body portion shaped to engage a
body flange to seal an upper region of the passage. A second
sealing element is provided which comprises a resilient section and
a base section adapted to mate with a door panel to seal a lower
region of the passage.
[0008] According to a second embodiment, an automotive vehicle
including a body having a flange defining a passage is provided. A
door closes the passage. A first sealing element having a flange
receiving channel and a generally tubular element is provided. The
first sealing element covers an upper region of the flange. The
body also includes an interior lining encompassing at least a
portion of said flange and creating a pair of pockets receiving
first and second ends of the first sealing element. A second
sealing element has a base adapted for mounting to a door and a
tubular element extending from the base. The door includes an
interior lining defining pockets receiving ends of the second
sealing element.
[0009] According to a further embodiment, a seal for a motor
vehicle door passage is provided. The seal includes a body side
component and a door side component. The body side component is
comprised of a tubular section and a main body section shaped to
receive a flange. The door side component is comprised of a tubular
section and a base adapted for mounting to a substantially planar
door edge. The body side compartment seals an upper region of the
passage and the door side compartment seals a lower region of the
passage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The following description and drawings set forth certain
illustrative implementations of the disclosure in detail, which are
indicative of several exemplary ways in which the various
principles of the disclosure may be carried out. The illustrated
examples, however, are not exhaustive of the many possible
embodiments of the disclosure. Other objects, advantages and novel
features of the disclosure will be set forth in the following
detailed description of the disclosure when considered in
conjunction with the drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a prior art door sealing arrangement;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art body side
seal;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art door side
seal;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a vehicle body panel in
accord with the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a vehicle door in accord
with the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the vehicle body side
lining assembly;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the door side lining
assembly;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the vehicle body side seal
assembly;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the door side seal assembly;
and
[0020] FIG. 10 is a cross-section view showing the interface
between the door and vehicle body seals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] One or more embodiments or implementations are hereinafter
described in conjunction with the drawings, where like reference
numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and where
the various features are not necessarily drawn to scale.
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 4-7, a vehicle left side panel 20 is
depicted. Side panel 20 includes a forward passage 22 receiving a
driver side door 32. A rear seating area access passage 24 is
provided which receives a second door assembly (not shown). A
storage compartment window passage 26 is similarly provided.
Surrounding an upper region of door passages 22 and 24 are body
side seal elements 28 and 30, respectively.
[0023] Referring now specifically to FIG. 5, door 32 includes a
planar edge 36 surrounding a raised shell portion 38 forming an
internal cavity which contains door elements such as a window lift
mechanisms, wiring etc. In a closed position, door edge 36 overlaps
side side panel 20. Secured to door edge 36 (or optionally to a
lateral wall of raised portion 38) is a door side seal element 40.
In a door closed condition, seal element 40 is compressed between
door 32 and side panel 20. As is visually apparent, seal element 28
and seal element 40 are cooperatively shaped to provide a
contiguous weather strip seal surrounding passage 22, and in a door
closed condition, seal passage 22 from the ingress of fluids.
[0024] The seal elements 28 and 40 can be comprised of any type of
a resilient polymeric material, with rubbers being suitable and
ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) being one example.
Advantageously, locating the lower sealing element on the door
allows wear issues to be minimized. Accordingly, the requirement to
form a solid skin layer on an EPDM foam can be eliminated and a
significant cost savings achieved.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 6, a more detail depiction of the
construction of seal elements 28 and 40 is provided. Side panel 20
includes a inner wall 42, a center wall 44 and an outer wall 45
which are stamped together to form a flange region 46. Of course,
the present seal element is compatible with any manner in which
side panel 20 is formed. The seal element 28 includes a resilient
tubular section 48, secured to a main body section 50 and a tail
section 52 which interacts with an interior vehicle lining to
provide a sound barrier.
[0026] Main body section 50 is formed to receive flange 46 between
arm 54 and dimpled wall 56. Main body 50 can be reinforced with an
imbedded metal insert. In the depicted closed position, door lining
36 impacts tubular portion 48, compressing the same, and forming a
weather seal between side panel 20 and door 32, effectively sealing
the upper region of passage 22.
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 7, the door side seal element 40 is
depicted in greater detail. More particularly, base portion 58
includes clips 60. Clips 60 function to retain the door side seal
element 40 via insertion in holes through door edge 36. In a closed
position, an effective seal is formed by compression of tubular
region 56 of door side weather seal element 40 against the
combination of flange 46 and plastic interior lining 61 on the
vehicle center pillar on vehicle side panel 20.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 8, a transition zone between upper
weather sealing region and lower weather sealing region is created
by providing an interior vehicle lining 61 secured to the vehicle
side panel 20 and wrapping around flange region 46 to form pocket
64. Pocket 64 receives upper weather stripping seal 28.
Advantageously, this allows complicated molding processes used to
form the end of the tubular seal section to be avoided.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 9, a similar arrangement is provide on
the door side. Door 32 includes seal element 40 secured to door
edge 36. Particularly, door 32 also includes a lining 66 that
covers raised shell portion 38 and includes at an upper edge 68 a
pocket 70 that receives an end of door seal element 40.
[0030] The interaction of these elements can be fully interpreted
from FIG. 10. More particularly, upper panel side seal element 28
is overlapped by the pocket 68 formed in door lining 66 adjacent
its terminal end and door side seal element 40 is engaged at its
terminal end by interior vehicle lining 62 adjacent the pocket 64
location.
[0031] The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference
to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and
alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the
preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary
embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and
alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended
claims or the equivalents thereof.
* * * * *