Abstract:
Frame for a door and/or window, particularly for a transport vehicle, comprising a seal support, and a seal which seals between at least part of a peripheral edge of the door and/or window and the seal support when the door and/or window is or are in the closed position, and which is in the form of an injection-molded element of elastic nature, characterized in that it further comprises an intermediate element which is equipped with the seal molded onto it and which has the first fixing means, and in that the seal support and second fixing means capable of collaborating with the said first fixing means to fix the intermediate element, equipped with the seal molded onto it, to the seal support.

Description:
This application is a 371 of PCT/BE01/00120, filed Jul. 19, 2001. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a frame for a door and/or window, particularly for a transport vehicle, comprising
         a seal support, and   a seal which seals between at least part of a peripheral edge of the door and/or window and the seal support when the door and/or window is or are in the closed position, and which is in the form of a moulded element of elastic nature.       

     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In transport vehicles, and in particular in automobiles, systems for sealing and going round doors and windows, particularly windows that can be moved between an open position and a closed position, have long been known. The window frame consists in general of one or more elements which act as support for a seal and which usually form a surround in the shape of an inverted U supported by a door of the vehicle. A seal made of an elastic material with a metal core which is extruded in the form of a section piece is usually applied to this support. This section piece cannot be applied as one piece to the web and the arms of the U shape of the support. Transitions, which are not sealed by bits of section piece applied to the web and to the arms of the U therefore lie at the corners of the support. At that location, these transitions need to be sealed through an expensive additional operation, by introducing, in particular, a rubbery material at that point and vulcanizing it there. To fix extruded section piece seals it is necessary to provide complex grooves in the support, in which grooves corresponding elastic ribs of the seals can be housed, by pressing by hand. 
     This way of fixing is a slow operation which is therefore costly in terms of labour. 
     The method of moulding rubber seals onto the frame of an automobile window is also known (see GB-A-2272469). 
     That method has the disadvantage that moulding followed by a vulcanizing has to be preformed on the production line along which the door frame passes. Furthermore, if the seal becomes damaged or worn, even very partially or very locally, it is necessary to replace the entire door if the defective point is to be repaired. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to develop a door and/or window frame which is extremely simple and well sealed, which makes it possible to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks, and an economical method for manufacturing such a frame. 
     This problem is solved according to the invention by a door and/or window frame as described at the beginning, this frame being characterized in that it further comprises an intermediate element which is equipped with the seal moulded onto it and which has first fixing means, and in that the seal support and second fixing means capable of collaborating with the said first fixing means to fix the intermediate element, equipped with the seal moulded onto it, to the seal support. A frame such as this offers the advantage that the seal can easily be fixed to the seal support via a rigid element. Fixing together the support which is itself rigid and the intermediate element can be achieved by any appropriate means, for example by clipping them together. Such a solution is particularly appropriate because it allows the seal to be exchanged following wear or partial destruction, while at the same time avoiding the painstaking pushing of rubbery ribs into narrow grooves. 
     In such a frame, the seal receives its final shape in a single operation and the subsequent sealing of the corners of the support disappears. The seal is immediately fixed to an insert which is rigid per se, namely the intermediate element, and no longer has itself to be manipulated thereafter. The problems associated with the tolerances between the extruded section piece according to the prior art and the seal support, have disappeared. 
     The seal part can be completely recycled in a simple way because it is made of one single material, for example advantageously a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or a thermoplastic olefin (TPO), which are materials that can very easily be injection-moulded, and which do not require subsequent vulcanization. 
     According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the seal comprises an additional part which is fixed to the intermediate element without being moulded onto it. 
     Other forms of embodiment of a door and/or window frame according to the invention are indicated in claims 1 to 9. 
     The invention also relates to a seal for the frame of a door and/or window, which is in the form of an element of elastic nature injection-moulded onto an intermediate element by way of a rigid insert, the intermediate element having first fixing means capable of collaborating with second fixing means of a door and/or window frame seal support. It is actually possible to envisage standardizing the frame with the said second fixing means and manufacturing and marketing just the seal, moulded onto its insert, in the form of a component part. This may advantageously be manufactured away from the assembly line, and fixing the seal onto the support on the assembly line takes just a few seconds, for example clipping them together. 
     According to another form of embodiment of the seal according to the invention, the seal further comprises an additional part which is fixed to the intermediate element without being moulded onto it. 
     The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a door and/or window frame, particularly for a transport vehicle, comprising
         shaping of a seal support into a shape that corresponds to at least part of a peripheral edge of the door and/or of the window, and   moulding a seal, by injecting an appropriate material that can be moulded over a rigid insert arranged in a mould.       

     This method according to the invention is characterized in that it involves introducing an intermediate element into the mould by way of a rigid insert, which intermediate element has first fixing means, shaping the seal support in such a way as to provide it with second fixing means capable of collaborating with the first fixing means, and fixing the moulded seal onto the seal support by collaboration between the said first fixing means and the said second fixing means so that the seal provides sealing between the said at least one part of the peripheral edge of the door and/or of the window and the seal support when the door and/or the window is or are in the closed position. 
     According to another method of embodiment of the invention, the method involves introducing into the mould, by way of a rigid insert, the intermediate element equipped with an additional seal part not moulded onto it, and moulding the seal over this intermediate element thus provided. It is thus possible for an additional part, for example made of rubber, to be fixed temporarily and loosely onto the rigid insert, and to obtain, after moulding, an intermediate element onto which this additional part is firmly fixed. 
     Other details and specifics of the invention will become apparent from the description given hereinafter without implied limitation and with reference to the appended drawings. 
     Furthermore, the invention relates to a frame arrangement for a door and/or window, particularly for a transport vehicle, comprising a seal support, and seal means which seals between at least part of a peripheral edge of the door and/or window and the seal support when the door and/or window is or are in the closed position, and which is at least partly in the form of a moulded element of elastic nature, characterised in that it further comprises an intermediate element, in that the said part of the seal means comprises a first seal which is mounted on the intermediate element by being moulded thereon, in that the seal means also comprises a second seal which is separate from the first seal and is also mounted on the intermediate element, by fixing means for fixing the intermediate element, with the first and second seals mounted on it, to the seal support, and in that one of the first and second seals is made of thermoplastic elastomer material. 
     In the various drawings, elements which are identical or similar are denoted by the same references. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts a side view of a car door with, in an exploded position, a seal support. 
         FIGS. 2–7  depict views in section on A—A in  FIG. 1  of various forms of embodiment of frames according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  depicts a conventional automobile door  1  and the frame  2  of the window  3  has been extracted from the door. This frame is to surround the window in a sealed manner when this window is in the closed position. 
     The description which follows relates to an automobile window frame. It must be understood that window frames of other vehicles, such as lorries, aeroplanes, boats, caravans, wagons and the like, and even fixed constructions or containers in which a sliding window is to be sealed in the closed position are included within the scope of the present invention. The same is true of door frames for doors with or without windows. 
     The frame  2  according to the invention comprises a steel support  4  which is preferably, but not necessarily, formed of a section piece  5  in one piece made of a rigid material, such as a hard synthetic material, steel, aluminium or magnesium, for example. The section piece  5  is preferably hollow in order to save weight. 
     To shape the section piece  5  in such a way that it has the appearance of an inverted U, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , it is possible to envisage all appropriate means known to those skilled in the art, whether this be by assembling components, bending, deformation, for example by hydroforming. 
     In the exemplary embodiment depicted in  FIG. 2 , the section piece  5  has projecting legs  6  and  7  which are bent in such a way as to form a groove  8  between them. 
     In that exemplary embodiment, the seal  10  is made of a material of an elastic nature, it being possible for that material to be injection-moulded. For this purpose, provision may be made of TPO or TPE, for example. 
     In particular, it has a series of sealing lips  15  to  19 . 
     These are advantageously coated with a sealing strip  20  to  23 , for example made of synthetic foam or lacquer. When the window  3  is in the closed position, some of these lips press against the window pane which is thus sealed. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an alternative form of embodiment of a frame according to the invention, in which the seal  10  is made of one piece. It has been injection-moulded over an insert formed of an intermediate fraction piece  30  made of hard material, for example metal or plastic. This section piece  30  has two legs  31  and  32  projecting away from the seal  10 . The legs  31  and  32  of the intermediate section piece can be slipped elastically into the groove formed by the two legs  6  and  7  of the section piece  5 . The legs  31  and  32  are equipped with clip-fastening means  33  and  34  which are common in themselves and capable of collaborating with corresponding clip-fastening means  35  and  36  borne by the legs  6  and  7  of the section piece  5 . In this exemplary embodiment, the intermediate section piece  30  also has a direction away from the legs  31  and  32 , an additional leg  37  which is covered with channels  29 . The intermediate section piece  30  is introduced by way of an insert into a mould, not depicted, and the material of elastic nature is then injection-moulded directly onto it, in a common way, entering the gaps of the mould and, in particular, filling the channel  29 . Thereafter, the section piece  30  equipped with the seal  10  can easily be slipped and clip-fastened onto the seal support  5 . This form of embodiment therefore allows very easy placement and replacement of the seal. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a form of embodiment of a frame which is comparable with that of  FIG. 2 , except that the seal is formed of two parts, a part  24  which is injection-moulded and an additional part  25  which is not injection-moulded. The additional part  25  may be made of an extruded material, for example a natural or synthetic rubber, of TPO or of TPE. This extruded part does not need to be co-extruded with a metal core and can therefore easily be fixed to the intermediate section piece  30  via means of mutual attachment, such as a strip of double-sided sticky tape  28 , for example. It is also possible simultaneously or alternatively to envisage other means of attachment, for example one or more corresponding channels and ribs. In this exemplary embodiment, the additional part  25  which is not injection-moulded is introduced into the mould, in the state fixed to the intermediate section piece  30 . The part  24  of the seal is then injection-moulded over this assembly, to adopt the desired shape, and at the same time to definitively fix the additional part  25  onto the intermediate section piece  30 . 
       FIG. 4  shows part of the frame  52  of the opening in the vehicle body for the door  1 . Also shown in  FIG. 4  is the upper part of the window frame  2  carried by the door  1  which is shown in  FIG. 4  in the form of a seal support  54  and would be made of metal or similar rigid material. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the intermediate element  30  carries a first seal  58  which may be made of rubber (EPDM) or from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). This first seal  58  is, in this example, provided with three extending and flexible lips ( 60 ,  62  and  64 ). 
     In addition, the intermediate element  56  carries a second seal  66  which is preferably made of TPE. The second seal  66  has a downwardly extending lip part  68  and upwardly extending lip parts  70 ,  72 . 
     Preferably, at least one of the two seals  58 ,  66  is made of TPE. 
     The first and second seals  58 ,  66  are assembled onto the intermediate element  30  before the latter element is mounted on the seal support  54 . The intermediate element  30 , carrying the first and second seals  58 ,  66  is then mounted in position on the seal support  54  as a unit and may be secured in position by any suitable means such as clips of which one is shown, in diagrammatic form only, at  74 . 
     When the intermediate element  30 , carrying the seals  58  and  66 , is mounted in position on the seal support  54 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , the first and second seals  58 ,  66  together define a channel for receiving the upper edge of the window pane  3 . The lip part  68  of the second seal  66  bears against the outside of the window pane  3 , and the lips  60 ,  62  and  64  bear against its inside surface. The portions of the lip part  68  and of the lips  60 ,  62  and  64 , which contact the window pane can be covered with flock or similar material (not shown) for providing a low friction surface against the window glass. 
     The lip parts  70 ,  72  of the second seal  66  provide a sealing action against the door frame  52 . 
     At least one of the first and second seals  58 ,  66  is mounted on the intermediate element  30  by means of a moulding action such as an injection-moulding action. If the first and second seals  58 ,  66  are both made of TPE, they may be mounted on the intermediate element  30  by a single moulding action. If the first seal  58  is made of EPDM and the second seal  66  is made of TPE, two separate moulding operations may be used, although it is still possible in such a case to use a single moulding operation (but with the appropriate injection of the EPDM and TPE materials). 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the door frame  52  carries a sealing strip  80  which is partially compressed by the seal support  54  of the window frame  2  in the closed position (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) of the door  1 , and provides a weatherproof seal. 
     Further sealing action between the window frame  2  and the door frame  52  is provided by a further sealing strip  82  which is clipped in position by being inserted in an aperture  84  forming part of the seal support  54 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a modification to the arrangement of  FIG. 4 . In  FIG. 5 , only part of the arrangement of  FIG. 4  is shown. In  FIG. 5 , the intermediate element  30  is formed with two series of holes  86 ,  88 . The material of the seals  58 ,  66  flows through these holes during the moulding process so that the seals  58 ,  66  are more securely held on the intermediate element  30 . 
     In addition,  FIG. 5  shows a modified shape for the seal support  54  which defines a recess  90  having re-entrant edge portions  92 ,  94  which engage recesses in the intermediate element  30  to hold it in position. 
     In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , at least one of the first and second seals  58 ,  60  is mounted on the intermediate element  30  by means other than moulding. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the first seal  58  is clipped in position on the intermediate element  30 , and the second seal  66  embracingly grips a flange  56 A of the intermediate element  30 . The material of the second seal  66  where it embracingly grips the flange  56 A may be reinforced by an embedded resilient carrier  96  (shown dotted), such as made of metal. 
     Although  FIG. 6  shows both the first and second seals  58 ,  66  mounted in position other than by a moulding method, it will be understood that one of them could be mounted on the intermediate element  30  by a moulding operation and the other by a non-moulding operation such as shown in  FIG. 6 . When such a seal is mounted on the intermediate element  30  other than by a moulding operation, it may be produced by means of an extrusion process. 
       FIG. 7  shows a modification to the arrangement of  FIG. 6 . In  FIG. 7 , only part of the arrangement of  FIG. 6  is shown. As in  FIG. 5 , the intermediate element  30  of  FIG. 7  is formed with the holes  86 ,  88 . In  FIG. 7 , it is assumed that the seal  66  is moulded onto the intermediate element  30  (as in  FIG. 5 ). However, the seal  58  is not moulded but is separately formed, preferably by extrusion, and then mounted on the intermediate element  30  by forcing part of the extruded material of the seal through the holes  86  as shown at  98 . The material forced through the holes  86  is shaped to provide enlarged head portions to hold the seal  58  in position. In order to produce the head portions  98 , it may be necessary to carry out a cutting operation on the seal  58  after the extrusion process. 
     The intermediate element  30  is mounted on the seal support  54  in the same way as in  FIG. 5 . 
     It is to be clearly understood that the present invention is not in any way restricted to the forms of embodiment described hereinabove and that many modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the attached claims.