Sealing and guiding arrangements

Abstract: A window sealing and guiding arrangement (36) for a vehicle window comprises a glass-receiving strip (38) and a fixing element (40). The strip (38) is made of extruded plastics or rubber material without any metal insert and can thus be easily bent or curved to follow bends or curves in the window frame. It is held in position partly by the fixing element (40) which is channel-shaped in cross-section and may contain a reinforcing metal carrier (56). The fixing element (40) embraces and grips onto the flange (68) formed where the panels (70,72) of the window frame are welded together, and also embraces an anchor limb (46) of the glass-receiving strip (38). In addition, however, a lip (76) on the bright trim strip (74) running along the outside of the window frame engages a longitudinal groove (44) in the outer limb (42) of the glass-receiving strip (38). In this way, the glass-receiving part (38) is given sufficient strength to support the window glass even though it has no metal reinforcement.

Description: The invention relates to a sealing and guiding arrangement for mounting along at least part of a substantially rigid window frame of a window opening in a door of a motor vehicle, comprising a glass receiving strip made of flexible material and running along at least part of the periphery of the window opening and mounted on the window frame, the glass receiving strip defining a glass-receiving channel having a first channel wall made of flexible material running along the outside of the window opening adjacent to the frame so that the inner face of the first channel wall locates against the outside surface of a window glass when an edge thereof is received by the glass-receiving strip, and a stiff trim strip running along the frame alongside the first channel wall. Such an arrangement is known from EP-A-0 279 998. However, in this known arrangement the first channel wall is made of unsupported plastics material. The lack of a firm support against the outside surface of the window glass can be disadvantageous when, for example, the ambient pressure increases under the vehicle, tending to force the glass outwardly. the invention aims to overcome this problem. According to the invention, therefore, the known arrangement is characterised in that the stiff trim strip has a stiff extension which overlaps the outside of the first channel wall and engages the wall to strengthen and support it. In this way, therefore, the trim strip is enabled to carry out a dual purpose, that is, not only trimming the glass-receiving strip but supporting the outside of the first channel wall. Further developments in line with the invention defined in claim 1 are referred to in the dependent claims 2 to 19. Window pane sealing and guiding arrangements for motor vehicle bodies and embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective side view of a vehicle door and window. Figure 2 is a diagrammatic section of one of the sealing and guiding arrangements taken on the line II-II of Figure 1 with the window glass in its lowered position; Figure 3 corresponds to Figure 2 but shows the window glass raised; Figure 4 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 3; Figure 5 is an end view of a sealing and guiding strip forming part of the sealing and guiding arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3 but removed from the vehicle body; Figure 6 is an end view of a gripping element which forms part of the sealing and guiding arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3; Figure 7 shows a section on the line VII-VII of Figure 1 but with the gripping element of Figure 6 in the process of being fitted into position; Figure 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 1; Figure 9 shows a modified form of the sealing and guiding arrangement; Figure 10 shows a view corresponding to Figure 3 but of a further modified construction; Figure 11 shows a view corresponding to Figure 8 of yet another modified form of construction. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the front door 10 of a vehicle body. The door has an enclosed lower part 12 and an upper part 14 providing the normal window opening which is surrounded by the window frame 16 carried by the lower part 12. A window pane for the window opening 14 can be raised from and lowered into the lower part 12 of the door by the usual window mechanism. The rearmost part of the window frame 16 is covered by a trim strip 18 which may be made of hard plastics material. This is secured in position by screws or other fixtures shown at 20 and 22. These are normally covered by a bright trim strip which is omitted in Figure 1. This bright trim, when fitted, runs along the top 24 of the frame 16 and down the inclined front edge 26 of the frame. This inclined front edge runs into a vertical portion 28 alongside which is mounted a plate 30 which supports the rear view mirror 32. The window sealing and guiding arrangement now to be described extends from point A (Fig. 1), up the rearmost edge of the frame 16 (the part covered by the trim plate 18), along the top 24, down the inclined front edge 26, and then down the vertical part 28 to terminate at the point B. A normal waist seal (not shown) runs along each side of the mouth of the opening 34 through which the window glass moves into and from the lower closed part of the door. The sealing and guiding arrangement defines a channel 80 having a mouth facing inwardly of the window opening 14 for receiving and guiding the window glass. In order to provide a so-called flush glass effect, the outside wall of this channel (that is, the wall on the outside of the window frame) needs to be thin so that, so far as possible, the outer surface of the window glass is flush with the outer face of the window frame 16. At the same time, though, this outer wall of the channel must be sufficiently strong to retain the window glass against pressures tending to force it outwardly - such as air pressure which can build up within a moving vehicle so as to be in excess of the external pressure. Figure 2 shows the window sealing and guiding arrangement 36 where it runs along the top 24 of the window frame. The sealing and guiding arrangement 36 is made up of two parts. One of these parts is the glass receiving strip 38, and the other is a fixing element 40. As shown most clearly in Figure 5, the glass receiving strip 38 is generally channel-shaped in cross-section. It has an outer wall 42 containing, in its outer face, a groove 44 running along its entire length - for a purpose to be described. On its opposite side, the strip 38 defines an anchor limb 46. The strip 38 is extruded integrally from flexible material, preferably extruded rubber material. The rubber material in the base of the channel whose side walls are formed by the wall 42 and the anchor limb 46 is extruded to define a hollow chamber 48 supporting a relatively flexible platform 50 (See Fig. 5). The face of this platform 50 together with the inner face of the wall 42 are covered in flock, as shown at 52, or are similarly treated. The fixing element 40 (Fig. 6) is channel-shaped in cross-section and is made of extruded plastics or rubber material 54 in which may be embedded a channel-shaped metal carrier 56. The metal carrier 56 may take any suitable form. For example, it may be made of apertured channel-shaped metal. Instead, it may be made of a series of U-shaped metal elements arranged side-by-side along the length of the carrier to define a channel and either disconnected from each other or connected to each other such as by integral connecting links. In another form, it could be made of wire looped to and fro. Other forms of carrier are possible. Preferably, the carrier is incorporated into the extruded material 54 by means of a cross-head extrusion process. The extruded material 54 is (in this example) extruded to provide inwardly directed gripping lips 58 on the facing internal walls of the channel. There may be a greater or lesser number of such lips and they need not be of the same number or of the same size on opposite sides of the channel. In addition, the gripping part 40 carries a sealing extension 60. This is made of flexible material such as rubber or plastics material. It may be manufactured separately and secured onto the outside wall of the channel of the gripping part 40, such as by adhesive. Preferably, however, it is co-extruded with the extruded material 54. The sealing part 60 defines a hollow chamber 62 (to increase its flexibility) and its outer face is preferably covered with flock 64, or similar material. Figure 2 shows how the glass receiving strip 38 of the sealing and guiding arrangement 36 is positioned on a surface 66 of the upper part 24 of the window frame, and how the fixing element 40 is fitted in position over the flange 68 which is formed where the inner and outer panels 70 and 72 of the door are welded together along the window frame. When fitted in position like this, the fixing element 40 embraces not only the flange 68 but also the anchor limb 46 of the glass receiving part so as to hold the latter in position on the surface 66. In addition, however, the bright trim strip 74, which runs along the window frame 16, and which is normally made of metal, has a lip 76 running along its lower edge which engages within the groove 44 (Figure 5) in the outer wall 42 of the strip 38. In this way, the sealing and guiding arrangement 36 is held firmly in position in the window frame. The fixing element 40 is sized so as to be a tight fit on the flange 68 (and over the anchor limb 46), its gripping resilience being provided by the embedded metal carrier 56 and further gripping effect being provided by the gripping lips 58. Therefore, the glass receiving strip 38 and the fixing element 40 together define a window glass receiving channel 80. Figures 3 and 4 correspond to Figure 2 but show the window glass 82 as having been raised into position within this channel 80 so as to slide over the flocked surfaces and to flatten, at least partially, the chamber 48 (see Fig. 5) in the base of the channel 80 so as to provide a cushioned sealing effect. Further cushioned sealing effect is provided by the sealing part 60 of the fixing element 40. Figure 7 shows the sealing and guiding arrangement along the vertical rear part of the window frame 16, that is, the part covered by the trim plate 18. By way of explanation, Figure 7 shows the fixing element 40 before it is actually placed onto the flange 68 and over the anchor limb 46 of the glass receiving part 38. It will be noted that, over this vertical rear part of the window frame, the outer trim plate 18 has an extended lip 84 which engages within the groove 44 in the outer wall 42 of the glass receiving part 38. The fixing element 40 is fixed into position by moving it in the direction of the arrow C. Along the sloping front edge 26 (see Fig. 1) of the window frame, the sealing and guiding arrangement is substantially as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The bright trim strip 74 runs down this sloping edge and its lip 76 continues to engage within the groove 44 in the glass receiving part 38. Figure 8 shows the situation along the short vertical front part 28 of the window frame 16 (see Fig. 1). Here the sealing and guiding arrangement 36 is of the same construction but, over this region, a lip 86 in the rear mirror fixing plate 30 engages in the groove 44 of the strip 38. Normally, the two parts 38 and 40 of the sealing and guiding arrangement 36 will each extend continuously as a respective single piece, around the window opening from point A to point B (Figure 1). Because the glass receiving part 38 is made of extruded plastics or rubber material and contains no metal reinforcement, it can be easily bent to follow curves and corners in the window opening. Nevertheless, because its outer wall 42 is provided with the groove 44 which is engaged around the window opening by supporting lips (carried by the bright trim strip 74, by the trim strip 18, and by the rear mirror fixing plate 30 respectively), the strip 38 is nevertheless given sufficient strength and rigidity for it (and its outer wall 42 in particular) to be able to hold the window glass 82 securely in position. Figure 9 shows a modification in which the two parts 38 and 40 of the sealing and guiding arrangement 36 are formed in one piece such as by co-extrusion instead of separately. The co-extrusion process may be a cross-head extrusion process so that the fixing element 40 incorporates the channel-shaped metal carrier 56. The different parts of the sealing and guiding arrangement may be extruded to have different hardnesses. In the modification shown in Figure 10, the (inverted) base of the glass-receiving strip 38 is formed slightly differently, with the platform 50 extending completely across this base. In addition, the strip 38 does not have the anchor limb 46 (see Figure 5) which in the other embodiments extends into the interior of the channel of the fixing element 40. Instead, the fixing element 40 merely presses on the edge of the corresponding part of the strip 38. The latter point also applies to the modified form shown in Figure 11. In addition, in the latter the platform 50 is replaced by a lip 50A.

Claims: A sealing and guiding arrangement for mounting along at least part of a substantially rigid window frame (16) of a window opening (14) in a door (10) of a motor vehicle, comprising a glass receiving strip (38) made of flexible material and running along at least part of the periphery of the window opening (14) and mounted on the window frame (16), the glass receiving strip (38) defining a glass-receiving channel (80) having a first channel wall (42) made of flexible material running along the outside of the window opening (14) adjacent to the frame so that the inner face of the first channel wall (42) locates against the outside surface of a window glass (82) when an edge thereof is received by the glass-receiving strip (38), and a stiff trim strip (74,30,18) running along the frame alongside the first channel wall (42), characterised in that the stiff trim strip (74,30,18) has a stiff extension (76,84,86) which overlaps the outside of the first channel wall (42) and engages the wall (42) to strengthen and support it. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the outer face of the first channel wall (42) is extended to provide a slot for tightly receiving a stiff strip (74) constituting the support member and stiffening the said side (42) of the channel. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that part of the opposite side of the channel is held to the frame (16) by securing means (40). An arrangement according to claim 3, characterised in that the securing means (40) comprises a channel-shaped fixing element (40) which embraces a mounting flange (68) or the like forming part of the frame (16). An arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in that the fixing element (40) is integrally connected to the said part of the opposite side of the channel of the strip (e.g. Fig. 9). An arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in that the fixing element (40) is separate from the strip and abuts the said part of the opposite side of the channel of the strip (e.g. Figs. 10-12). An arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in that the fixing element (40) is separate from the strip and the channel of the fixing element (40) embraces not only the mounting flange (68) or the like but also a limb (46) forming an extension of the said part of the opposite side of the channel of the strip. An arrangement according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterised in that the fixing element (40) is made of extruded flexible material incorporating metal reinforcement. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the opposite wall of the channel (80) is held on the frame (16) by a fixing element (40) which thus helps to secure the strip (38) to the frame (16). An arrangement according to claim 9, characterised in that the fixing element is channel-shaped (40) in cross-section for embracing attachment to a mounting flange (68) or the like which runs along the window opening (14) and is part of the window frame (16). An arrangement according to claim 10, characterised in that the fixing element (40) is integrally connected to the said opposite wall of the channel of the strip. An arrangement according to claim 10, characterised in that the fixing element (40) is separate from the strip (38). An arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in that the fixing element (40) embraces not only the mounting flange (68) but also a limb (46) which is an extension of the said opposite wall of the channel of the strip (38). An arrangement according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterised in that the fixing element (40) incorporates embedded metal reinforcement (56). An arrangement according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterised in that an outer wall of the fixing element (40) defines at least part of the side wall of the glass-receiving channel (38) on the inside of the window opening (14). An arrangement according to claim 15, characterised in that the said outer wall of the fixing element (40) carries an auxiliary soft sealing part (60). An arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the trim strip is a bright trim strip running along at least part of the outside of the frame. An arrangement according to any one of claims 9 to 16, characterised in that the support means is a plate (30) attached to the window frame (16) adjacent a rear view mirror (32) carried by the door (10). An arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the said formation is a longitudinally extending groove (44) and in which the support means (76;18;30) is formed with a mating lip (84;80).

Inventors: ECKART RALF, ECKART, RALF
Applicants: DRAFTEX IND LTD, DRAFTEX INDUSTRIES LIMITED
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B60J10
IPC codes: B60J10