Weather strip for double door of automobile

There is provided a weather strip for a double door of an automobile which has a center seal portion and a seal body. The center seal portion has a main seal and a closing seal, whereas the seal body is integrally formed with a roof seal, an end seal and a lower seal. An upper end portion of the closing seal of the center seal portion is connected to an edge end portion of the roof seal of the seal body by a die molding. A lower end portion of the closing seal of the center seal portion is connected to an edge end portion of the lower seal of the seal body by a die molding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a weather strip installed to an automobile door which is built in a double door style.

There have conventionally been used a pair of side doors or back doors in an automobile which are formed in a double door style (hereinafter referred to as “a double door”). As illustrated inFIG. 1, as a weather strip installed to such a double door20provided in an automobile body3, there has been used one which comprises a center seal portion11which takes place in a front end portion of a rear door1confronting a rear end portion of a front door2, and which is composed merely of a main seal12and not composing a closing seal13.

Further, as illustrated inFIG. 2, there has been used a weather strip30which comprises a center seal portion11and a seal body14, and the center seal portion11comprises a main seal12as well as a closing seal13. In this weather strip30, the center seal portion11and the seal body14, which is formed of a roof seal15, an end seal16and a lower seal17, are individually structured for the reason of an easy production and a easy management.

However, in the former conventional weather strip not comprising the closing seal13in the center seal portion11, there is a problem that it induces a wind noise and the sound insulation property thereof is not satisfactory since it does not comprise the closing seal13.

Further, in the latter conventional weather strip in which the center seal portion11and the seal body14are individually structured, there is a problem that the noise insulation property thereof is poor because there is consequently formed a cut line where sealing is not properly done (herein after referred to as “a seal cut line”) in the connecting portion between the center seal portion11and the seal body14.

Moreover, there is also a problem in both of the conventional weather strips that water invades into an interior side of an automobile through a gap between a bottom surface of the roof seal15and a door panel, because the drainage of rain water or washing water trapped on the roof seal15is unsatisfactorily performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a door weather strip for a double door of an automobile, which can prevent an occurrence of a wind noise and is superior in a noise insulating property. Further, it is another object of this invention to provide a weather strip which is improved in a drainage property of water trapped on a roof seal of the weather strip.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a weather strip for a double door of an automobile which comprises a center seal portion11and a seal body14. The center seal portion11comprises a main seal12and a closing seal13. The seal body14is integrally formed with a roof seal15, an end seal16and a lower seal17. An upper end portion of the closing seal13of the center seal portion11is connected to an edge end portion of the roof seal15of the seal body14by a die molding. A lower end portion of the closing seal13of the center seal portion11is connected to an edge end portion of the lower seal17of the seal body14by a die molding.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a weather strip for a double door of an automobile which comprises a center seal portion11and a seal body14. The center seal portion11comprises a main seal12and a closing seal13. The seal body14is integrally formed with a roof seal15, an end seal16and a lower seal17. An upper end portion of the closing seal13of the center seal portion11is connected to an edge end portion of the roof seal15of the seal body14by a die molding. A lower end portion of the seal portion11is connected to an edge end portion of the lower seal17of the seal body14by a die molding.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a weather strip for a double door of an automobile as provided in the first aspect of the invention, wherein the roof seal15comprises an outside wall15anearby the center seal portion11. The outside wall15acomprises a hole portion15bformed therethrough in communication with a hollow portion15cof the roof seal15. The hole portion15bis used to pass water60, which is trapped in a gap between the outside wall15aand a door panel1a, therethrough and drain it outside of an automobile via an air hole portion13aof the closing seal13.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a weather strip for a double door of an automobile as provided in the second aspect of the invention, wherein the roof seal15comprises an outside wall15anearby the center seal portion11. The outside wall15acomprises a hole portion15bformed therethrough in communication with a hollow portion15cof the roof seal15. The hole portion15bis used to pass water60, which is trapped in a gap between the outside wall15aand a door panel1a, therethrough and drain it outside of an automobile via an air hole portion13aof the closing seal13.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the center seal portion11is provided with the closing seal13, so that a wind noise is prevented from occurring, and at the same time, a noise insulation property of the weather strip10is improved by an effect of two sealing members of the main seal12and the closing seal13.

Further, the upper end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to the edge end portion of the roof seal15by the die molding, and the lower end of the closing seal13of the center seal portion11is connected to the edge end portion of the lower seal17, so that no seal cuts are formed in those connecting portions. Therefore, the noise insulation property of the weather strip10is improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, like the first and second aspects of the inventions, the center seal portion11is provided with the closing seal13, so that a wind noise is prevented from occurring, and that the noise insulation property can be improved. Further, the upper end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to the edge end portion of the roof seal15of the seal body14by the die molding, so that no seal cuts are formed in the connecting portion, thereby improving the noise insulation property of the weather strip10.

Further, in this preferred embodiment, the lower end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to the edge end portion of the lower seal17of the seal body14, so that no seal cuts are formed in the connecting portion as well, thereby the sealing property of the weather strip30is further improved.

Moreover, the lower end portions of the main seal12and the closing seal13are also connected with each other by the die molding, so that there are not formed seal cuts between them, and that the noise insulation property of the weather strip10is further improved.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the inventions, there is formed the hole portion15bin the outside wall15aof the center seal portion11nearby the roof seal15in order to drain the water60, which is trapped in a gap formed between the outside wall15aand the door panel1a, outside of the automobile through the hole portion15band the air hole portion13aof the closing seal13, so that an invasion of the water60into an interior of the automobile is prevented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring toFIGS. 3 to 7, there will be described a weather strip for a double door of an automobile according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention. This weather strip10is installed to a rear door1of a double door of an automobile comprising a front door2and the rear door1. The weather strip10comprises a center seal portion11, which comprises a main seal12and a closing seal13, as well as a seal body14which is integrally formed with a roof seal15, an end seal16and a lower seal17. The weather strip10is structured by connecting an upper end portion of the center seal portion11to a front end portion of the roof seal15of the seal body14by a die molding.

This die molding is completed by extrusion molding each of the main seal12and the closing seal13to form an extrusion mold part40respectively, followed by a process of placing the upper portions of the seals12,13in a die with the front end portion of the roof seal15, and then by injecting rubber material in the die to connect the seals12,13,15and to form a die mold part50. In the same manner, the lower end portion of the closing seal13is placed in a die with the front end portion of the lower seal17, upon injecting rubber material in the die to connect the seals13,17and to form a die mold part50.

According to the weather strip10in this preferred embodiment of the invention, the center seal portion11is provided with the closing seal13, so that a wind noise is prevented from occurring and a noise insulation property is improved. Further, the upper end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to the front end portion of the roof seal15of the seal body14by the die molding, while the lower end portion of the closing seal13is connected to the edge end portion of the lower seal17by a die molding, so that there are formed no seal cuts in those connecting portions, and that there can be provided a weather strip with a high noise insulation property.

Referring toFIG. 8, a weather strip10for a double door of an automobile according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention will be described. This weather strip10is also installed to a rear door1of a double door of an automobile comprising a front door2and the rear door1. An upper end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to a front end portion of a roof seal15of a seal body14by a die molding and a lower end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to a front end portion of the lower seal17by a die molding as well.

According to this weather strip10, like the aforementioned weather strip, the center seal portion11is provided with the closing seal13, so that the wind noise can be prevented from occurring, and that the noise insulation property of the weather strip10can be improved. Further, the upper end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to the front end portion of the roof seal15of the seal body14by the die molding, so that no seal cuts are formed in the connecting portion, and that the noise insulation property of the weather strip10is improved.

Further, the lower end portion of the center seal portion11is connected to the edge end portion of the lower seal17of the seal body14, so that no seal cuts are formed in the connecting portion of the lower seal17and the seal body14, and that the sealing property of the weather strip10is further improved.

Moreover, according to this embodiment, the lower end portions of the center seal portion11and the closing seal13are also connected by a die molding, so that no seal cuts are formed in the connecting portion thereof, and that no seal cuts are formed in the entire portion of the weather strip10. Therefore, the weather strip10is good in restraining an occurrence of a wind noise, and it is further improved in the noise insulation property.

It should be noted that as illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10, in the aforementioned first and second preferred embodiments, there can be formed a hole portion15bin a outside wall15aof a roof seal15nearby the center seal portion11, in communication with a hollow portion15cof the roof seal15.

With such a structure, the hole portion15cenables the draining of water60, such as trapped water, in a gap formed between the outside wall15aand the door panel1aor washing water to outside the automobile through the hole portion15band the hollow portion15cof the roof seal15by dropping the water in the air hole portion13aof the closing seal13. Therefore, the water60invading into an interior of the automobile through a gap between a bottom surface of the roof seal15and the door panel1ais prevented.

It should be noted that a weather strip for a double door of an automobile according to the invention can be installed not only to a rear door1of a side door but also to a back door or another type of door which forms a double door.