Abstract:
A support strap for holding a seal strip of a convertible top against one or more body panels of the vehicle. The seal strip has a body panel engaging portion and an attachment portion. A tensioner is operatively attached to the support strap to reduce the flexibility of the support strap and apply pressure to the seal strip to improve the effectiveness of the seal strip.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates to a tensioning apparatus for supporting a seal carried by the top stack of a convertible top or retractable hard top in an area where the seal would otherwise not be supported by a structural link or rail. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Convertible tops and retractable hardtops are moved between an extended position to cover the passenger compartment of a vehicle and a retracted position to provide an open air experience. The term “convertible top” as used in this disclosure should be construed to include soft top convertible tops and retractable hardtops. When a convertible top is extended, it is important that an effective seal is provided in every area where the top engages the vehicle body and windows. Seals are provided to exclude air and water from the passenger compartment when the top is extended. 
         [0003]    In some areas around the periphery of the convertible top, seals may not be attached to a rail or a link that makes up part of the top stack. In particular, the sail area of the roof may be partially defined by the rear rail and five bow but gaps between these parts of the top stack leave areas where a seal is unsupported. A seal is less effective when not supported by a rigid support such as a rail and may allow leakage or wind noise in that area. 
         [0004]    This disclosure is directed to solving the above problem and other problems as summarized below. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    According to one aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for supporting a seal of a convertible top for a vehicle is disclosed that includes a support strap and a tensioner. The support strap has a first end attached to a first top stack part and a second end attached to a second top stack part. The support strap is flexible when the convertible top is retracted. The support strap is attached to an attachment portion of the seal to hold an engagement portion of the seal against the vehicle when the convertible top is extended. The tensioner is operatively connected between one of the top stack parts and the support strap to reduce the flexibility of the support strap between the first and second top stack parts when the convertible top is extended. 
         [0006]    According to other aspects of this disclosure as it relates to the apparatus, the first top stack part is a rear rail that extends upwardly from the vehicle and the second top stack part is a rear bow that extends along a body surface of the vehicle. A retainer is attached to a lower end of the rear rail to hold the support strap at a corner defined by the rear rail and the rear bow to hold the seal against the vehicle. The support strap may be at least partially embedded in the seal or may be otherwise adhered to the seal. 
         [0007]    The seal may define a plurality of slots in the attachment portion that extend transversely relative to a length of the support strap to facilitate bending the seal and the support strap. The support strap may be embedded in the seal and may extend across at least some of the slots. 
         [0008]    The seal may be formed from a first elastomer composition that defines a body panel engaging portion and a second elastomer composition that defines the attachment portion. The second elastomer composition may be softer and more compressible than the first elastomer composition to facilitate bending the seal and the support strap. The support strap may be adhered to the attachment portion of the seal. 
         [0009]    The seal and the support strap are provided in a portion of the convertible top that forms a corner of the convertible top. The apparatus may further comprise a retaining member attached at the corner that holds the flexible strap at the corner and applies a force on the seal to bias the seal into engagement with the vehicle. The force applied on the seal may be provided by a tensioner that may be a spring that is attached to a side tension cable. 
         [0010]    According to other aspects of this disclosure, a convertible top is disclosed for a vehicle that defines a beltline of the vehicle and that includes a supporting strap that is tensioned by a spring to hold a seal against the vehicle at the beltline. The convertible top comprises a top stack linkage including a plurality of bows extending in a transverse direction and a plurality of articulated rails extending in a longitudinal direction that support the bows. The top stack linkage is movable between an extended position and a retracted position. A cover is supported by the linkage in the extended position and folded by the linkage in the retracted position. The supporting strap is attached to the top stack linkage and the spring selectively tensions the supporting strap by tightening the strap. The seal is provided between the supporting strap and the body at the beltline where the cover overlies the body and is tensioned by the spring to hold the seal against the body. 
         [0011]    According to other aspects of this disclosure as it relates to the convertible top, the articulated rails may include a rear rail that extends upwardly from the body and the plurality of bows include a rear bow that extends along the beltline. A retainer may be attached to a lower end of the rear rail to retain the supporting strap and hold the supporting strap in line with the rear bow to hold the seal against the body. The supporting strap may be adhered to or partially embedded in the seal. 
         [0012]    The seal of the convertible top may define a plurality of slots in an attachment portion that extend transversely relative to a length of the supporting strap and facilitate bending the seal and the supporting strap. The supporting strap may extend across at least some of the slots. Alternatively, the seal may be formed from a first elastomer composition that defines a body engaging portion and a second elastomer that defines an attachment portion that is more compressible than the first elastomer to facilitate bending the seal and the supporting strap. 
         [0013]    The above aspects of this disclosure and other aspects will be described in detail below with references to the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a convertible vehicle; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a fragmentary perspective view of one embodiment of a supporting strap for a seal made according to this disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a supporting strap and tensioner for a seal made according to this disclosure; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a supporting strap and tensioner for a seal made according to this disclosure; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 5 ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to the drawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are intended to be merely examples that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. The specific structural and functional details disclosed are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  10  is illustrated that includes a convertible top  12 . The convertible top  12  has a flexible textile cover  16  that is supported by a plurality of bows  18 . One of the bows  18  is a rear bow  20  that extends along one or more outer body panels  22  at a belt line  24  of the vehicle  10 . A plurality of top stack rails  28  support and move the cover  16  and the bows  18 . One of the top stack rails is a rear rail  30 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a seal assembly  32  is illustrated that includes a seal strip  36 . The seal strip  36  includes a body panel engagement portion  38  and an attachment portion  40 . The body panel engagement portion  38  engages the outer body panels  22 . The support strap  42  is attached to or embedded in the attachment portion  40 . The support strap  42  may be adhered to the surface of the attachment portion  40  or may be embedded within the attachment portion  40 . The support strap  42  includes a first end  44  that is attached, directly or indirectly, to the rear rail  30  and a second end  46  that is attached, directly or indirectly, to the rear bow  20 . A plurality of articulated top stack rails  28  support the bows  18  including the rear bow  20  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). The rear rail  30  extends upwardly from the belt line  24  of the vehicle  10  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) and also extends in the longitudinal direction. The rear rail  30  extends at an angle relative to the belt line  24  and is located behind the rearmost side window (not shown) of the vehicle  10 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , an alternative embodiment of the seal assembly  32  is shown. The same reference numerals used to describe  FIG. 2  are used to describe similar elements of the embodiments shown in  FIG. 3 . The seal assembly  32  includes a seal strip  36  including a body panel engagement portion  38  and an attachment portion  40 . The attachment portion  40  is attached to the support strap  42  and the body panel engagement portion  38  is adapted to engage the body  22  of the vehicle  10 . A first end  44  of the support strap  42  is attached directly or indirectly to a tensioner  50 . The tensioner  50  may be a spring as shown or any other apparatus that can apply tension to the support strap  42 . The spring, or tensioner  50 , is attached to a side cable  52  that extends around part of the edge of the cover  16  of the convertible top  12  and is operatively attached to the rear rail  30 . A retainer  56  is attached to the rear rail  30  and functions to hold the support strap  42  at an outside corner  58  of the convertible top  12 . The retainer  56  may be a roller, a clip, a bar, or a ring that retains the support strap  42  in place, but also permits a limited degree of movement of the support strap  42  relative to the rear rail  30  and rear bow  20 . 
         [0025]    The tensioner  50  is secured at the first end  44  to the rear rail  30 . Tension provided by the tensioner  50  holds the support strap  42  in a taut condition and causes the support strap  42  to exert a compressive force on the seal assembly  32 . The seal assembly  32  is forced into engagement with the body panel  22  by the support strap  42 . 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the seal assembly  32  is shown in cross-section. The seal assembly  32  is directly or indirectly attached to the cover  16 . The seal assembly  32  includes the attachment portion  40  that is formed of a relatively soft, or compressible, elastomer. The softer elastomer used to form the attachment portion  40  facilitates bending the support strap  42  in the course of retracting the convertible top  12 . The body panel engagement portion  38  is formed of a relatively hard, or less compressible, elastomer that is harder and less compressible than the body panel engagement portion  38 . 
         [0027]    The support strap  42  is a flexible and inelastic member that may be formed of nylon or another relatively rigid elastomer. The support strap  42  may also be formed of spring steel or any other material that becomes relatively rigid or less flexible when the tensioner  50  (shown in FIG.  3 ) tensions the support  42  in conjunction with moving the convertible top  12  from the retracted position to the extended position. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , an alternative embodiment of a seal assembly is generally indicated by reference numeral  60 . The seal assembly  60  includes a seal  62  that includes a body panel engagement portion  64  and an attachment portion  66 . The body panel engagement portion  64  is adapted to engage one or more of the outer body panels  22  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). The attachment portion  66  is oriented to be secured to a support strap  72 . The attachment portion  66  includes a plurality of slots  68  that are provided to facilitate bending the support strap  72  as the convertible top  12  is retracted. 
         [0029]    A first end  74  of the support strap  72  is attached through a tensioner  78 , directly or indirectly, to a side cable  80 . A second end  76  of the support strap  72  is attached, directly or indirectly, to the rear bow  20 . A gap defined between the rear bow  20  and rear rail  30  is spanned by the support strap  72  and seal strip  62 . 
         [0030]    A retainer  82  secures the tensioner  72  near an outside corner  58  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the convertible top  12  where the rear rail  30  extends toward the belt line  24 . The seal assembly  60  extends between the rear rail  30  and the rear bow  20  at the corner  58 . The seal extends across the gap between the rear bow  20  and rear rail  30  and is not backed by either the rear bow  20  and rear rail  30  in the gap when the top is extended. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the structure of the seal assembly is shown in a longitudinal cross-section. The seal assembly  60  includes the seal strip  62  that includes a first portion  64  that may have a higher hardness and is less compressible than a second portion of the seal  66 . Alternatively, the hardness and compressibility of the first and second portions  64  and  66  may be the same because the slots  68  formed in the first portion of the seal  64  may function to make it easier to bend. The slots  68  facilitate bending the seal assembly  60  during the folding and unfolding of the convertible top  12 . The seal strip  62  is backed-up by the support strap  72 . The support strap  72  is held in position by the retainer  82  near the corner  58  formed at the bottom of the rear rail  30 . 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , a transverse cross-section of the seal assembly  60  is shown in which the seal strip  62  includes a first portion  64  that engages the vehicle  10  at the belt line  24  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) and a second portion  66 . The support strap  72  may be embedded in the second portion of the seal  66  in an in situ molding process. Alternatively, the support strap  72  may be adhered or otherwise attached to the seal strip  62 . 
         [0033]    The embodiments described above are specific examples that do not describe all possible forms of this disclosure. The features of the illustrated embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosed concepts. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation. The scope of the following claims is broader than the specifically disclosed embodiments and also includes modifications of the illustrated embodiments.