SEALING AND GUIDING STRIPS

Abstract: A waist seal, such as for sealing against a window glass (6) movable up and down through the waist gap of a vehicle door, comprises a channel-shaped gripping portion (16) supporting the waist seal on door panels (10, 12). The gripping portion (16) carries lips (28, 30) making sealing contact with the window glass (6) as it slides up and down. Each lip (28, 30) may be made of relatively hard material. Each lip (28, 30) is mounted on the outside of a respective wall (24, 26) of a respective hollow chamber (20, 22) formed within the material (17) of the gripping portion (16). The walls (24, 26) and the chambers (20, 22) damp vibration of the lips and thus prevent or minimise an unwelcome noise or squeak as the window glass (6) is raised or lowered. Each of these hollow chambers (20, 22) may be filled with a damping material such as a polyisobutylene material.

Description: SEALING AND GUIDING STRIPS The invention relates to a sealing arrangement for sealing against a generally planar surface movable along a predetermined path, comprising mounting means for mounting the sealing arrangement adjacent the path and sealing means resiliently supported on the mounting means and defining a sealing surface for sealingly contacting the movable surface. The invention also relates to a waist seal for sealing against a surface of a window pane which is mounted in the window opening of a motor vehicle and movable through a waist gap into and out of a lower part of a vehicle body part, the waist seal comprising a longitudinal extending channel-shaped gripping portion for mounting the waist seal adjacent to and extending along one edge of the gap, and at least one flexible sealing lip carried by the gripping portion and extending away therefrom for making contact with one face of the window glass as it moves through the gap, the lip being mounted on the outer surface of a wall of the gripping portion. Examples of such sealing arrangements and waist seals are known in motor vehicle body construction. Motor vehicle bodies normally have several movable panes of window glass. These, for example, are usually arranged to slide in a vertical direction in the window openings of the vehicle doors. Such movable window glass panes are normally arranged to slide adjacent to sealing arrangements which are fixed along the sides and top of the window frame and along the lower part of the window openings, where the window glass moves into and out of the lower part of the door. In order for the sealing arrangements to seal against the window glass effectively, and to provide good weatherproofing, they have to be reasonably tight. If they are too tight, however, noise may be created by the movement of the window glass against the seal. According to the invention the sealing arrangement as first set forth above is characterised in that the sealing means is at least partially supported on the mounting means by resilient damping means. According to the invention, the waist seal as first set forth above is characterised in that the said wall defines a longitudinally extending hollow chamber in the gripping portion for damping vibration of the lip. Sealing strips forming waist seals 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 transverse cross-sectional view through one of the waist seals; Figure 2 corresponds to Figure 1 but shows a modification; and Figure 3 shows another of the sealing strips. The waist seal 5 is for mounting on a vehicle body adjacent to a slidable window glass 6. In a particular example, the waist seal 5 is mounted to run along the lower generally horizontal edge of the window frame mounted on a vehicle door, alongside the slot through which the window glass 6 can be raised from or lowered into the lower part 8 of the hollow vehicle door. Figure 1 shows the panels 10 and 12 of the vehicle door which are brought together along this edge, or waist, and are welded together at intervals to form a flange 14 The waist seal 5 comprising a channel-shaped gripping section 16 formed from plastics or rubber material 17 extruded over a channel-shaped embedded metal carrier 18. The metal carrier 18 may take any suitable form. For example, it may be a simple longitudinally extending U-shaped metal carrier. Instead it may be made up of U-shaped metal elements arranged side-by-side in a longitudinal direction to define a channel. It will be appreciated that other forms of carrier are possible. The gripping section 16 may be produced by extrusion, the carrier 18 being incorporated by using a cross-head extruder. The extruded plastics or rubber material 17 is extruded to provide two longitudinally extending hollow chambers 20 and 22 which run along the length of the seal. On the outer wall 24 and 26, on the outside of each of these hollow chambers 20,22, a respective lip 28,30, is supported. The outer walls 24,26 are relatively flexible. Preferably, the lips 28,30 are integrally extruded with the material 17. They may be made of relatively hard material, possibly harder than the material 17. The lips 28 and 30 may be co-extruded with the material 17. Instead, though, they could be made separately and secured as by adhesive. The material 17 may be integrally extruded with gripping lips 34 and 36 running along the inside of the channel of the gripping portion. These gripping lips make contact with the sides of the flange 14 and provide a sealing and gripping effect. The lips may be extruded from material which is softer than the remainder of the extruded material of the gripping portion, thereby increasing their gripping effect. The lips may have various different shapes and there may be more or less than the number of lips shown. In use, the lips 28,30 bear against one face of the window glass 6 and thus provide a seal against ingress of water or moisture and dirt into the lower part 8 of the door. The surfaces of the lips 28 and 30 which bear against the window glass 6 may be covered with flock or other lower-friction material. The resilience of the material of the lips 28,30 urges them into contact with the surface of the glass 6. As the window glass is raised or lowered and slides against the surfaces of the lips 28,30, any tendency for an unwelcome noise or squeak to be produced by the contact between the lips and the window glass is removed or minimised by the damping effect of the damping means constituted by the flexible outer walls 24,26 and the hollow chambers 20,22. The damping means so constituted reduces any tendency for the lips 28,30 to vibrate and produce noise or squeaking, and, in addition, damps the transmission of any such noise or squeaking. It is believed that the vibrations of the lips 28,30 tend to produce reciprocations of the lips in directions substantially perpendicular to the walls 24,26 and that the walls 24,26 resist and damp these reciprocations. It will be appreciated that the waist seal 5 may be modified so that there is only one lip 28,30 instead of two and, consequently, only one chamber 20,22. A similar waist seal may be provided on the opposite side of the window glass. Instead, a conventional waist seal may be provided there. In the modification shown in Figure 2, the damping means is modified by filling or partially filling the chambers 20,22 with a polyisobutylene material 32, or a similar material having like damping characteristics. This material helps the damping effect of the damping means, by providing additional attenuation of the above-mentioned reciprocations of the lips 28,30. In the sealing strip of Figure 3, in which parts corresponding to those in the other Figures are correspondingly referenced, only a single lip 28 is used. However, this lip is supported by a flexible web 38. In the arrangement of Figure 3, the chamber 22 is filled with a damping material 32 of the type described with reference to Figure 2. Instead, however, the chamber 20 could be empty.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A sealing arrangement for sealing against a generally planar surface (6) movable along a predetermined path, comprising mounting means (16) for mounting the sealing arrangement adjacent the path and sealing means (28, 30;38) resiliently supported on the mounting means (16) and defining a sealing surface for sealingly contacting the movable surface (6) , characterised in that the sealing means (28, 30;38) is at least partially supported on the mounting means by resilient damping means (20,22;32) . 2. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the sealing means comprises at least one flexible sealing lip made of relatively flexible material having a distal end forming the said sealing surface and a foot portion attached to the mounting means (16) . 3. A sealing arrangement according to claim 2, characterised in that the mounting means (16) includes flexible material (17) on which the foot portion of the lip (28,30) is mounted, flexing of the flexible material being damped by the damping means (20, 22;32) . 4. A sealing arrangement according to claim 3, characterised in that the flexible material (17) comprises material defining at least part of the wall of a chamber (20,22) to constitute the damping means. 5. A sealing arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in that the chamber (20,22) is substantially empty except for air or other gas. 6. A sealing arrangement according to claim 4, characterised in that the chamber (20,22) is at least partially filled with damping material (32) . 7. A sealing arrangement according to claim 6, characterised in that the damping material (32) is a polyisobutylene material. 8. A sealing arrangement according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterised by a flexible web (38) extending between the mounting means (16) and part of the lip (28) at or adjacent its distal end. 9. A sealing arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the mounting means (16) incorporates extruded plastics or rubber material and in that the sealing means (28,30) is also made of flexible rubber or plastics material . 10. A sealing arrangement according to claim 9, characterised in that the flexible rubber or plastics material of the sealing means (28,30) is relatively hard. 11. A sealing arrangement according to any preceding claim, characterised in that the mounting means (16) is channel-shaped for resiliently gripping a rigid mount (14) adjacent the said path. 12. A waist seal for sealing against a surface of a window pane (6) which is mounted in the window opening of a motor vehicle and movable through a waist gap into and out of a lower part of a vehicle body part, the waist seal comprising a longitudinal extending channel-shaped gripping portion (16) for mounting the waist seal adjacent to and extending along one edge of the gap, and at least one flexible sealing lip (28,30) carried by the gripping portion (16) and extending away therefrom for making contact with one face of the window glass (6) as it moves through the gap, the lip (28,30) being mounted on the outer surface of a wall of the gripping portion (16) , characterised in that the said wall defines a longitudinally extending hollow chamber (22) in the gripping portion (16) for damping vibration of the lip (28,30) . 13. A waist seal according to claim 11, characterised in that the hollow chamber (22) incorporates damping material (32) . 14. A waist seal according to claim 12 or 13, characterised in that the gripping portion (16) incorporates extruded channel- shaped plastics or rubber material (17) and the resilient rubber or plastics material is co-extruded with the material of the or each lip (28, 30) . 15. A waist seal according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterised by a channel-shaped metal carrier (18) embedded within the gripping portion (16) . 16. A waist seal according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterised in that the or each lip (28,30) has a surface carrying a layer of low-friction material such as flock which makes the contact with the window glass (6) . 17. A waist seal according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterised by a flexible web (38) extending from the gripping portion (16) to a position on the lip (28) adjacent its contact with the window glass (6) .

Inventors: VAN DEN OORD HENRICUS, VAN DEN OORD, HENRICUS
Applicants: DEN OORD HENRICUS VAN, DRAFTEX IND LTD, DRAFTEX INDUSTRIES LIMITED, VAN DEN OORD, HENRICUS
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B60J10
IPC codes: B60J10