Parting seal and sealing structure of parting portion

A parting seal includes: an assembly part; and a seal part. The assembly part is assembled on a rear door. The seal part is integrally molded with the assembly part and closes a parting portion between a front door and the rear door. The seal part is hollow and includes: a first hollow wall which faces the parting portion; and a second hollow wall which faces a body panel. A lip is formed on a position on which the first hollow wall and the second hollow wall come into contact with each other on a side of the front door. The lip protrudes toward an outer-cabin side. The first hollow wall and the lip are made of sponge material, the second hollow wall and the assembly part are made of solid material. The assembly part is free of a core, and is immovably assembled on the rear door.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of JP Patent Application JP 2015-256503 filed Dec. 28, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The present invention relates to parting seals and sealing structures of parting portions. Seal parts of the parting seals close the parting portions between rear ends of front doors and front ends of rear doors. The seal parts are integrally molded with assembly parts which are assembled on the rear doors of four-door sedans or the like.

As shown inFIG. 6toFIG. 9, sealing structures from an inner-cabin side for closing and sealing a parting portion between a rear end of a front door2and a front end of a rear door1of four-door sedans or the like have been disclosed. The sealing structures aim at preventing entrance of air and resultant noise caused by the air and improving appearance (see, for example, Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-177266).

The Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-177266 discloses that a seal lip40has a substantially tongue-shaped cross section and closes the parting portion. A bending point200is provided on a base root41bside of the seal lip40so that, when high pressure water700splashes the seal lip40while spraying water for washing automobiles or the like, the seal lip40is curved toward the inner-cabin side and a top end41aof the seal lip40makes elastic contact with a center pillar4as a body panel. With this configuration, a direction of high pressure water700, which splashes the parting portion from an outer-cabin side is forcibly re-directed at a desired angle with respect to the direction of high pressure water700when high pressure water700splashes the seal lip40. This configuration prevents high pressure water700from directly hitting a front side weather strip20, operatively coupled on the front door2, and performs the above-mentioned effects. The seal lip40is disposed at an upper part of a front end of a rear side weather strip10, which is operatively coupled on a peripheral edge of the rear door1, and extends downward.

A top end41aof the seal lip40may: smoothly extend from a base root41band taper off as shown inFIG. 8; or be bent toward an outer-cabin side as shown inFIG. 9.

With this configuration, the seal lip40makes elastic contact with the center pillar4and stably guides high pressure water700in a fixed direction, in which the front side weather strip20is not directly hit by high pressure water700, without fluttering in an outer and inner cabin side direction like a flexible plate. This configuration prevents high pressure water700from entering the inner-cabin side from the space between the front side weather strip20and the center pillar4, thereby preventing water leak.

Unfortunately, however, the above-described configuration requires that the seal lip40be curved toward the inner-cabin side and make elastic contact with the center pillar4, when high pressure water700splashes the seal lip40. That is, when a distance is long between a surface of the center pillar4and a surface of the rear door1or the front door2, the above-described sealing structure is not adaptable for the following reasons. The seal lip40, with a size sufficient for closing the parting portion from the inner-cabin side, has to be longer and larger for making elastic contact with the center pillar4. The resultant seal lip40, which is longer and larger in size, has a harmful influence on opening and closing the door and makes the noise by the air even worse.

Also, closing the parting portions by means of hollow seal parts, not the seal lip40having the substantially tongue-shaped cross section, has been known (see, for example, Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-270261). This configuration also requires that the hollow seal parts make elastic contact with the center pillars. Accordingly, when the distance is long between the surface of the door and the surface of the center pillar4, this configuration is not adaptable.

In the Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-270261, weather strips are operatively coupled on automobile bodies which do not move, not on the doors which move. In such a case, it is preferable that the weather strips are firmly fixed without shifting. Accordingly, cores in the weather strips are extended to top ends of the hollow seal parts. But the weather strips with the cores increase weight and costs.

Other sealing structures have been disclosed, which are adaptable even in case the distance is long between the surface of the door and the surface of the body panel, in which the hollow seal parts close the parting portions, and the hollow seal parts do not make elastic contact with the body panels when high pressure water700splashes the hollow seal parts (see, for example, Japanese examined Patent Publication No. 4490159).

Unfortunately, however, in the Japanese examined Patent Publication No. 4490159, an installation base member is molded by bending, and the hollow seal member is pressed against the outer-cabin side (door side) by means of elasticity for preventing the weather strip from straying. In this structure, when high pressure water700splashes the hollow seal part from the outer-cabin side, the hollow seal part as well as the installation base member curves or bends and moves toward the inner-cabin side as an opposite side.

Accordingly, high pressure water700, which splashes the parting portion, may advance straightly in a diagonally frontward direction, directly hit the front side weather strip, enter the inner-cabin side from the space between the front side weather strip and the center pillar and cause water leak.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide the parting seals and the sealing structures of the parting portions, capable of controlling water leak by high pressure water which splashes the parting portions, even in case the distance is long between the doors and the body panels.

SUMMARY

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the invention, a parting seal (50) is provided, the parting seal (50) including: an assembly part (51); and a seal part (52); the assembly part (51) being assembled on a rear door (1), the seal part (52) being integrally molded with the assembly part (51), the seal part (52) closing a parting portion between a rear end of a front door (2) and a front end of the rear door (1), wherein:

the seal part (52) is hollow, the seal part (52) including a first hollow wall (521) and a second hollow wall (522), the first hollow wall (521) extending toward the front door (2) from the assembly part (51) and facing the parting portion, the second hollow wall (522) extending toward the front door (2) from the assembly part (51) and facing a body panel (4);

a lip (53) is formed on a position, which is on a side of the front door (2) and on which the first hollow wall (521) and the second hollow wall (522) make contact with each other, the lip (53) protruding toward an outer-cabin side;

the first hollow wall (521) is made of sponge material, the second hollow wall (522) and the assembly part (51) are made of solid (dense) material;

the assembly part (51) is free of a core, and the assembly part (51) is immovably assembled on the rear door (1).

In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, the second hollow wall (522) is substantially linear in cross section and extends toward the front door (2) from the assembly part (51), the first hollow wall (521) is curved toward the outer-cabin side, and a thickness (521T) of the first hollow wall (521) is thinner than a thickness (522T) of the second hollow wall (522).

In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, the assembly part (51) is forked into a first assembly wall (511) on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall (512) on an inner-cabin ride for sandwiching the front end of the rear door (1), the second assembly wall (512) thickens toward the inner-cabin side, and a thickness (512T) of the second assembly wall (512) in a width direction of an automobile is thicker than the thickness (522T) of the second hollow wall (522).

In addition, according to one aspect of the invention, a sealing structure of a parting portion is provided, for closing the parting portion between a rear end of a front door (2) and a front end of a rear door (1) by a seal part (52), the seal part (52) being integrally molded with an assembly part (51), the assembly part (51) being assembled on the rear door (1), wherein:

the seal part (52) is hollow, the seal part (52) including a first hollow wall (521) and a second hollow wall (522), the first hollow wall (521) extending toward the front door (2) from the assembly part (51) and facing the parting portion, the second hollow wall (522) extending toward the front door (2) from the assembly part (51) and facing a body panel (4);

a lip (53) is formed on a position, which is on a side of the front door (2) and on which the first hollow wall (521) and the second hollow wall (522) make contact with each other, the lip (53) protruding toward an outer-cabin side;

the first hollow wall (521) is made of sponge material, the second hollow wall (522) and the assembly part (51) are made of solid (dense) material;

the assembly part (51) is free of a core, the assembly part (51) is immovably assembled on the rear door (1); and

when high pressure water (700) splashes the seal part (52) while spraying water for washing an automobile for example, the first hollow wall (521) is widely bent toward the second hollow wall (522) and the assembly part (51).

In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, the assembly part (51) is forked into a first assembly wall (511) on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall (512) on an inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door (1), and

a garnish (57) is provided on an outer-cabin side of the rear door (1) for fixing the first assembly wall (511) between the rear door (1) and the garnish (57).

In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, when high pressure water (700) splashes the seal part (52), the seal part (52) is ineffective in making elastic contact with the body panel (4) of the automobile.

Symbols in parentheses show constituents or items corresponding to the drawings. In the specification, the words “front”, “rear”, “upper” and “lower”, which are related with directions indicate “front”, “rear”, “upper” and “lower” directions in the automobile.

According to the present invention, the assembly part, which is integrally molded with the seal part, is free of the core and assembled on the rear door. The seal part closes the parting portion between the rear end of the front door and the front end of the rear door. The absence of the core in the assembly part reduces weight and lowers cost.

In addition, the seal part is hollow, including the first hollow wall on the outer-cabin side and the second hollow wall on the inner-cabin side, and the assembly part is immovably assembled on the rear door. The first hollow wall, made of the sponge material, is widely bent toward the second hollow wall and the assembly part when high pressure water splashes the seal part while spraying water for washing the automobile for example. Under the same condition that high pressure water splashes the seal part: the assembly part, made of the solid (dense) material, is immovable; and the second hollow wall, made of the solid (dense) material, slightly bends. High pressure water, which splashes the parting portion from the outer-cabin side, straightly advances toward the body panel including a center pillar through the parting portion. In other words, high pressure water advances in a direction perpendicular to an outer-cabin side surface of the center pillar. As high pressure water hits the first hollow wall of the seal part, a direction of high pressure water is forcibly re-directed at an angle and advances frontward along an outer-cabin side surface of the first hollow wall.

In addition, the lip is formed on the position, which is on the side of the front door and on which the first hollow wall and the second hollow wall make contact with each other. Also, the lip protrudes toward the outer-cabin side. With the formation of the lip, the direction of high pressure water, which is directed along the outer-cabin side surface of the first hollow wall, is forcibly re-directed at the angle and advances toward the outer-cabin side along the outer-cabin side surface of the lip.

This configuration prevents high pressure water from directly hitting a front side weather strip and entering the inner-cabin side from the space between the front side weather strip and the center pillar. Since high pressure water does not enter the inner-cabin side, water does not leak.

The assembly part is immovably assembled on the rear door and made of the solid (dense) material in the same manner as the second hollow wall. Accordingly, the seal part does not make elastic contact with the body panel such as the center pillar as in the prior arts (Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-177266, Japanese unexamined Patent Publication No. H05-270261). In addition, the assembly part and the second hollow wall, which do not flutter widely in the outer and inner cabin side direction as in the prior art (Japanese examined Patent Publication No. 4490159), stabilize a direction of high pressure water and fix a direction in which the lip protrudes.

In addition, the first hollow wall, which is curved toward the outer-cabin side, sufficiently deals with deviation of the parting portions as compared with the seal lips having substantially tongue-shaped cross sections as in the prior art as well as closes the parting portion from the inner-cabin side and prevents entrance of air and resultant noise caused by the air. The first hollow wall also improves appearance. The second hollow wall, which is substantially linear in cross section and which extends toward the front door from the assembly part, substantially linearly directs high pressure water to the lip when the first hollow wall bends as well as enables the first hollow wall to be widely curved toward the outer-cabin side. Also, the thickness of the first hollow wall is thinner than the thickness of the second hollow wall. With this configuration, when high pressure water splashes the first hollow wall, only the first hollow wall is positively bent.

In addition, the assembly part is forked into the first assembly wall on the outer-cabin side and the second assembly wall on the inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door, the second assembly wall thickens toward the inner-cabin side, and the thickness of the second assembly wall in the width direction of the automobile is thicker than the thickness of the second hollow wall. With this configuration, the assembly part is immovably assembled on the rear door more firmly.

In addition, the garnish may be provided on the outer-cabin side of the rear door for fixing the first assembly wall between the rear door and the garnish. With this configuration, the assembly part is immovably assembled on the rear door more firmly. If the garnish sufficiently fixes the assembly part on the rear door, thickening the second assembly wall toward the inner-cabin side may be omitted.

In the present invention, when high pressure water splashes the seal part, the seal part does not make elastic contact with the body of the automobile. Accordingly, the present invention is most effective in the configuration of the automobiles that the distance is long between the surface of doors (rear doors, front doors) and the surface of the body panels such as the center pillars.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIG. 1toFIG. 4andFIG. 6, a sealing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention of a parting portion will be described.

FIG. 1illustrates the sealing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention of the parting portion.FIG. 1corresponds to an I-I line enlarged cross section ofFIG. 6. When constituents or items correspond to those in prior arts, the same symbols are used.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, the sealing structure of the parting portion is for closing the parting portion between a rear end of a front door2and a front end of a rear door1by a parting seal50from an inner-cabin side. The parting seal50includes an assembly part51and a seal part52. The sealing structure of the parting portion is adopted on an automobile with the configuration that a distance is long between a surface of a door (rear door1, front door2) and a surface of a center pillar4.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, when the front door2is closed, a hollow seal part62of a front side weather strip60makes elastic contact with an outer-cabin side on a front side of the center pillar4. An installation member61of the front side weather strip60is operatively coupled on a peripheral edge of the front door2. In the same manner, when the rear door1is closed, a hollow seal part72of a rear side weather strip70makes elastic contact with an outer-cabin side on a rear side of the center pillar4. An installation member71of the rear side weather strip70is operatively coupled on a peripheral edge of the rear door1. As the hollow seal part62of the front side weather strip60makes elastic contact with the center pillar4and bends, a tip62aon a side of the rear door1of the hollow seal part62rises toward an outer-cabin side thereby forming a triangular space9between the center pillar4and the tip62aof the hollow seal part62.

The sealing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention of the parting portion prevents high pressure water700from splashing the triangular space9from the outer-cabin side through the parting portion while spraying water for washing the automobiles or thunderstorm, and entering the inner-cabin side.

The parting seal50diverges from an upper part of a front end of a rear side weather strip70and extends downward to a position on a belt line.

The assembly part51of the parting seal50is forked into a first assembly wall511on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall512on the inner-cabin side and sandwiches a hemming-connected front end of the rear door1.

The first assembly wall511has a substantially L-shaped cross section. As shown inFIG. 2andFIG. 3, the first assembly wall511includes: a short side511a, which abuts with a top end of the rear door1; and a long side511b, which abuts with an outer-cabin side surface of the rear door1. The long side511bhas: a protrusion511baformed on an outer-cabin side on a front side thereof; and a protrusion511bbformed on the outer-cabin side on a rear side thereof, respectively.

The second assembly wall512thickens toward the inner-cabin side as a side of a tip512aand has a substantially ridge-shaped (triangular-shaped) cross section. The short side511aof the first assembly wall511connects with a substantial center of a base512bof the second assembly wall512. The base512bof the second assembly wall512, which extends rearward from a position of connection (short side511aand base512b), abuts with an inner-cabin side surface of the rear door1.

The seal part52of the parting seal50is hollow and includes a first hollow wall521and a second hollow wall522. The first hollow wall521extends toward the front door2from the assembly part51and faces the parting portion (outer-cabin side). The second hollow wall522extends toward the front door2from the assembly part51and faces the center pillar4at a back (inner-cabin side) of the parting portion.

The second hollow wall522is substantially linear in cross section. The second hollow wall522extends in a diagonal direction, which is toward the side of the front door2and the inner-cabin side, from the tip512aof the second assembly wall512of the assembly part51. A thickness at a center of the second hollow wall522is thicker than: a thickness on a top end of the second hollow wall522as a side of the front door2; and a thickness on a rear end of the second hollow wall522as a side of the rear door1.

The first hollow wall521is curved and protrudes toward the outer-cabin side. A top end of the first hollow wall521as the side of the front door2connects with the top end of the second hollow wall522. A rear end of the first hollow wall521as the side of the rear door1connects with and rises from the top end of the base512bof the second assembly wall512of the assembly part51toward the outer-cabin side.

A lip53is formed on a position, which is on the side of the front door2and on which the top end of the first hollow wall521and the top end of second hollow wall522make contact with each other. The lip53protrudes in a diagonal direction, which is toward the side of the front door2and the outer-cabin side. A width53T of the lip53is thicker than a thickness521T of the first hollow wall521. The lip53protrudes by a length53L, which is substantially half a curvature521S of the first hollow wall521from an inner-cabin side surface of the top end of the second hollow wall522.

A thickness521T of the first hollow wall521, which is thinner than a thickness522T of the second hollow wall522, is easier to bend. A thickness512T of a second assembly wall512in a width direction of an automobile is thicker than a thickness522T of the second hollow wall522. Length512bL of the base512bof the second assembly wall512is shorter than length522L of the second hollow wall522in cross section.

The assembly part51is firmly assembled on the rear door1. Specifically, the assembly part51, which is free of a core, is immovable and does not bend while sandwiching the front end of the rear door1with the first assembly wall511and the second assembly wall512.

In addition, a garnish57is provided on an outer-cabin side of the rear door1and a garnish58is provided on an outer-cabin side of the front door2. The garnish57on the side of the rear door1, together with the rear door1, fixes the first assembly wall511of the assembly part51. More specifically, the assembly part51is firmly assembled on the rear door1by: inserting a pressing piece57aof the garnish57in a concave55; and pressing an inner-cabin side surface of the garnish57against the protrusions511baand511bbon the first assembly wall511. The pressing piece57a, which is a part of the garnish57on a side of the front door2, is bent toward the inner-cabin side. The concave55is formed between the first hollow wall521of the seal part52and the first assembly wall511of the assembly part51.

The first hollow wall521and the lip53are made of sponge rubber material. The second hollow wall522and the assembly part51are made of solid (dense) rubber material. Resin materials, thermoplastic elastomer for example, can substitute for the rubber materials.

In the sealing structure according to the embodiment the present invention of the parting portion, the assembly part51, which is integrally molded with the seal part52, is free of the core and assembled on the rear door1. The seal part52closes the parting portion between the rear end of the front door2and the front end of the rear door1. The absence of the core in the assembly part51reduces weight and lowers cost.

In addition, the seal part52is hollow, including the first hollow wall521on the outer-cabin side and the second hollow wall522on the inner-cabin side, and the assembly part51is immovably assembled on the rear door1. As shown inFIG. 4, the first hollow wall521, made of sponge material, is widely bent toward the second hollow wall522and the assembly part51when high pressure water700splashes the seal part52while spraying water for washing the automobile for example. Under the same condition that high pressure water700splashes the seal part52, the assembly part51, made of solid (dense) material, is immovable; and the second hollow wall522, made of the solid (dense) material, slightly bends. High pressure water700, which splashes the parting portion from the outer-cabin side, straightly advances toward a center pillar4through the parting portion. In other words, high pressure water700advances in a direction perpendicular to an outer-cabin side surface of the center pillar4. As high pressure water700hits the first hollow wall521of the seal part52, a direction of high pressure water700is forcibly re-directed at an angle and advances frontward along an outer-cabin side surface of the first hollow wall521.

In addition, the lip53made of the sponge material is formed on the position, which is on the side of the front door2and on which the first hollow wall521and the second hollow wall522make contact with each other. Also, the lip53protrudes toward the outer-cabin side. With the formation of the lip53, the direction of high pressure water700, which is directed along the outer-cabin side surface of the first hollow wall521, is forcibly re-directed at an angle and advances toward the outer-cabin side along the outer-cabin side surface of the lip53.

This configuration prevents high pressure water700from directly hitting a front side weather strip60and entering the inner-cabin side from the space between the front side weather strip60and the center pillar4. Since high pressure water700does not enter the inner-cabin side, water does not leak.

The assembly part51is immovably assembled on the rear door1and made of the solid (dense) material in the same manner as the second hollow wall522. Accordingly, the seal part52does not make elastic contact with the center pillar4. In addition, the assembly part51and the second hollow wall522, which do not flutter widely in the outer and inner cabin side direction, stabilize the direction of high pressure water700and fix a direction in which the lip53protrudes.

In addition, the first hollow wall521of the seal part52, which is curved toward the outer-cabin side, sufficiently deals with deviation of the parting portions as compared with the seal lips having substantially tongue-shaped cross sections as well as closes the parting portion from the inner-cabin side and prevents entrance of air and resultant noise caused by the air. The first hollow wall521also improves appearance. The second hollow wall522, which is substantially linear in cross section and which extends toward the front door from the assembly part51, directs high pressure water700to the lip53stably and substantially linearly when the first hollow wall521bends as well as enables the first hollow wall521to be widely curved toward the outer-cabin side. Also, the thickness521T of the first hollow wall521is thinner than the thickness522T of the second hollow wall522. With this configuration, when high pressure water700splashes the first hollow wall521, only the first hollow wall521is positively bent.

The seal lip40according to the prior art, having the substantially tongue-shaped cross section, has been required to make elastic contact with the center pillar4as well as close the parting portion. But, the first hollow wall521according to the embodiment of the present invention need not make elastic contact with the center pillar4and is only required to close the parting portion. In addition, length and shape of the first hollow wall521, which is corresponding to the seal lip40according to the prior art, does not have a harmful influence on opening and closing the door.

In addition, the assembly part51is forked into the first assembly wall511on the outer-cabin side and the second assembly wall512on the inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door1, the second assembly wall512thickens toward the inner-cabin side, and the thickness512T in the width direction of the automobile is thicker than the thickness522T of the second hollow wall522. With this configuration, the assembly part51is immovably assembled on the rear door1more firmly.

The second assembly wall512, at least, of the assembly part51may be made of material higher in rigidity. As shown inFIG. 5, this configuration eliminates the need for thickening the second assembly wall512toward the inner-cabin side. The resultant assembly part51has a substantially U-shaped cross section.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the lip53is made of the sponge material.FIG. 2andFIG. 5illustrate that the lip53is continuous with the first hollow wall521. Alternatively, the lip53may be made of the solid (dense) material and continuous with the second hollow wall522for resisting pressure from high pressure water700. But, the lip53, which is continuous with the first hollow wall521and made of the sponge material as in the embodiment of the present invention, forms a uniform outer-cabin side surface of the parting seal50without a dividing line of the materials and is improved in appearance.

The parting seal50according to the embodiment of the present invention diverges from the upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip70and extends downward. In this connection, the parting seal50may be unified with the rear side weather strip70, which is not separable from the rear side weather strip70, or not unified with the rear side weather strip70, which is separable from the rear side weather strip70. Known methods of unifying the parting seal50with the rear side weather strip70include: thermally fusion-bonding the parting seal50with a die-molded upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip70while the upper part of the front end is being die-molded; and using adhesive between the parting seal50and the upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip70, which may be die-molded or not die-molded. A separable structure, not as the embodiment of the present invention in which the parting seal50diverges from the upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip70, may include an embodiment that has an obvious opening or space between the parting seal50and the rear side weather strip70.