Sealing structure for convertible type vehicle

There is provided a sealing structure in a convertible type vehicle in which a roof 11 is opened by folding or removing the roof 11, wherein a weather strip 15 mounted to a header 12 comprises seal portions 18, 19, which seals a gap by making a resilient contact with the hood 11 when the hood 11 is in a closed position. A roof side weather strip 22 mounted to a side edge of the hood 11 comprises a sub-seal portion 28 which seals a gap formed with the hood 11. A fin shape seal portion 1 is projecting formed at a front end of the sub-seal portion 28, where a front end of the seal portion 1 makes a resilient contact with a seal portion 19 of the weather strip 15 when the hood 11 is in a closed position, thereby sealing a contacting portion formed between the weather strip 15 and the front end of the roof side weather strip 22.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a sealing structure formed at a portion where a weather strip mounted along a header and a front pillar of a vehicle makes a contact with a front end of a roof side weather strip in a convertible type vehicle comprising a roof which opens by being folded or removed.

FIG. 9illustrates a convertible type vehicle comprising a foldable hood11which forms a roof, wherein the hood11is stored at a backside of a vehicle body when it is folded to open the roof, while a front end of the hood11makes a contact with a header12and a top end of a front pillar13when it is in a closed position.

FIG. 10illustrates a view of a portion positioned along a header12in a weather strip15which is mounted to a header which extends sideward from a top end of a front pillar13and a front pillar13. The header12secures a top end of a front glass14. The weather strip15comprises a mounting base portion17being mounted to a retainer16and two hollow seal portions18,19, wherein a hood11makes a contact with the hollow seals18,19when the hood11is in a closed position, thereby sealing a gap between a top end of the hood11and the header12.

FIG. 11illustrates a roof side weather strip22which is mounted to a side edge of the hood11with a retainer21. The roof side weather strip22comprises a mounting base portion25which is mounted to the retainer21fixed to a link23by a screw24; a hollow seal portion27which is integrally formed with the mounting base portion25, and makes a resilient contact with a top end of a side glass26after the side glass26moves upward to close; a hollow sub-seal portion28which makes a resilient contact with a hood11to prevent water from invading into an interior side of a vehicle by passing through a gap between the hood11and the hollow seal portion27in a direction shown by an arrow in the drawing while washing the vehicle with high pressure water.

As illustrated inFIG. 12, the roof side weather strip22is designed such that a front end thereof makes a resilient contact with a corner portion of the weather strip15which is mounted along the header12and the front pillar13, and the sub-seal28is generally cut off at its front end. If the front end of the sub-seal28is left uncut, in case there is an inaccuracy in fitting operation of the roof side weather strip22, a front end of the sub-seal portion28would impinge against the hollow seal portion19of the weather strip15at a time the hood11is in a closed position, thereby deforming the hollow seal portion19and impairing a sealing function between the hollow seal portion19and a front end of the hood11. In the corresponding drawing, a portion shown with the black in the triangle indicates a die molded portion, while the white indicates an extrusion molded portion. Similar indication is applied in other drawings.

On the other hand, the cutting of the sub-seal portion described above induces a problem, that is, as illustrated inFIG. 12, the water invading in the direction shown by an arrow inFIG. 11invades into an interior side of the vehicle through the cut off portion29of the sub-seal portion28. Conventionally, there was a method to prevent such problem wherein a highly foamed sponge, e.g., EPT sealer is provided to the roof side weather strip22, thereby making the EPT sealer elastically contact to the hood11to seal the cut off portion29. There was also another method wherein a hole or holes for draining water is/are formed in the roof side weather strip22at a portion closer to the cut off portion29in order to drain the water invaded from the direction shown by an arrow inFIGS. 11 and 12through the roof side whether strip22via the hole or holes. However, the former method using the EPT sealer induces an increase of a production cost, whereas the latter method forming the hole or holes in the roof side weather strip22has a difficulty in draining the water invading from the direction shown with the arrow inFIGS. 11 and 12when a quantity of the invading water is large at a time of a car wash with highly pressured water.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a sealing structure formed at a contacting portion between a weather strip and a front end of a roof side weather strip wherein a hollow seal portion of the weather strip, which is mounted along a header and a front pillar of a vehicle, does not deform by being pushed by a front end of a roof side weather strip when a roof is in a closed position in a convertible type of vehicle in which the roof is folded or removed to open.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is provided a sealing structure formed between a weather strip and a roof side weather strip in a vehicle comprising a roof which opens by being folded or removed. The weather strip is mounted to a header which extends sideward from a top end of the front pillar and secures a top end of a front glass, and a front pillar. The weather strip comprises seal portions to seal a gap formed between a front ends of a roof by making a resilient contact with the front end of the roof when the roof is in a closed position. The roof side weather strip comprises a sub-seal portion to seal a gap formed between the roof by resiliently contacting a side portion of the roof. The sub-seal portion is provided with a fin shape seal portion at a front end thereof. The fin shape seal portion bends or curbs in an interior side of the vehicle after making a contact with a side portion of the roof. The fin shape seal portion makes a resilient contact with the weather strip when the roof is in a closed position.

According to the invention, the fin shape seal portion seals a gap formed between the roofs like the sub-seal portion. The fin shape seal portion is smaller in rigidity compared to a hollow seal portion and is curved, so that it is easily bent when it impinges to the hollow seal portion of the weather strip when the roof is in a closed position. Further, since the contact area of the fin shape seal portion against the hollow seal portion of the weather strip is larger, the stress applied to the hollow seal portion is dispersed. Those facts enable to make the hollow seal portion of the weather strip hardly deform, thereby making the hollow seal portion not to impair its sealing performance against the hood of the vehicle.

Other features and effects of the present invention will be more clearly understood in the following detailed description of the embodiments by those skilled in the art. It must be, however, noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings alone.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A sealing structure according to a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described hereinafter referring toFIGS. 1 to 8. In the drawings, same numerals are applied to portions which correspond to similar portions in the conventional sealing structure illustrated inFIGS. 9 to 12.

FIGS. 1 to 3illustrate a sealing structure according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention whereinFIG. 1shows a structure in which, when a hood11forming a roof is in a closed position, a die molded front end of a roof side weather strip22mounted along a side edge of a hood11is making a contact with a die molded corner portion of a weather strip15which is mounted along a header12which extends sideward from a top of end of the front pillar13and secures a top end of a front glass14, and a front pillar13.FIG. 2is a sectional view along A—A line inFIG. 1, andFIG. 3is a sectional view along line B—B inFIG. 1.

Hollow sealing portions18aand19aconnected to the hollow sealing portions18and19of the weather strip15shown inFIG. 10are formed integrally with the mounting base portion17, showing the die-molded portion of the weather strip15, which are mounted to the retainer16. When a hood11is closed, the hood11makes a resilient contact with the hollow seal portions18,18a,19,19a, thereby sealing a gap formed between a front end of the hood11and a header12(SeeFIG. 10). In the drawing, the numeral “31” indicates a garnish.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, the roof side weather strip22comprises a mounting base portion25, which is mounted to a retainer21mounted along a side edge of the hood11, a hollow seal portion27formed integrally with the mounting base portion25and a hollow sub-seal portion28. The hollow seal portion27makes a resilient contact with a top edge of a side glass26after the side glass26is closed, thereby sealing that portion. The sub-seal portion28makes a resilient contact with the hood11, thereby sealing that portion.

Although the sealing structure described above is similar in general to the conventional sealing structure which is illustrated inFIGS. 9 to 12, it clearly differs from the conventional sealing in a point that the sealing structure described above comprises a fin shape seal portion1projecting from a front end of the sub-seal portion28of a die molded front end of the roof side weather strip22, wherein a front edge portion of the bent shaped seal portion1curbs along the seal portion19aof a corner of the weather strip15when the hood11is in a closed position, and the seal portion1makes a resilient contact with the hollow seal portion19a.

According to the sealing structure of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the seal portion1is able to seal a gap between the hood11and the hollow seal portion27(seeFIG. 2) to shut off the water invading through the gap otherwise. Further, when the hood11is in a closed position, the front edge of the seal portion1bends as it makes a resilient contact to the hollow seal portion19aby bending along a shape of the hollow seal portion19a. As the seal portion1bends along the seal portion19a, the stress applied against the seal portion19aby the seal portion1disperses, so that a deformation of the hollow seal portion19ais minimized.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, each of the seal portions18,19of the weather strip15as well as the sub-seal portion28of the roof side weather strip2are formed in a hollow shape though, each of them may be formed in a lip shape.

FIGS. 4 and 6illustrate a second preferred embodiment of the invention wherein a sub-seal portion28of a roof side weather strip22is formed in a lip shape. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 to 3in a point that the hollow shape sub-seal portion28shown inFIGS. 1 to 3is formed in a hook shape of a lip2, and as shown inFIG. 6, a fin shape seal portion1is projected from the lip2.

FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate a third preferred embodiment of the invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 to 3in a point that the sub-seal portion3of the roof side weather strip22shown inFIGS. 1 to 3is formed separately from the roof side weather strip22, and this sub-seal3is integrally formed with a mounting portion4and is mounted to a flange portion21aof a retainer21by attaching the mounting portion4to the flange portion21a. The fin shape seal portion1projects from a front end of the sub-seal portion3, forming a structure similar to the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 to 3.