PARTING SEAL AND SEALING STRUCTURE OF PARTING PORTION

Abstract

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 immcvably assembled on the rear door.

Claims

1. A parting seal comprising: an assembly part; and a seal part; the assembly part being assembled on a rear door, the seal part being integrally molded with the assembly part, the seal part closing a parting portion between a rear end of a front door and a front end of the rear door, wherein: the seal part is hollow, the seal part comprising a first hollow wall and a second hollow wall, the first hollow wall extending toward the front door from the assembly part and facing the parting portion, the second hollow wall extending toward the front door from the assembly part and facing a body panel; a lip is formed on a position, which is on a side of the front door and on which the first hollow wall and the second hollow wall make contact with each other, the lip protruding toward an outer-cabin side; the first hollow wall is 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 the assembly part is immovably assembled on the rear door.

2. The parting seal as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the second hollow wall is substantially linear in cross section and extends toward the front door from the assembly part, the first hollow wall is curved toward the outer-cabin side, and a thickness of the first hollow wall is thinner than a thickness of the second hollow wall.

3. The parting seal as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the assembly part is forked into a first assembly wall on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall on an inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door, the second assembly wall thickens toward the inner-cabin side, and a thickness of the second assembly wall in a width direction of an automobile is thicker than the thickness of the second hollow wall.

4. A sealing structure of a parting portion for closing the parting portion between a rear end of a front door and a front end of a rear door by a seal part, the seal part being integrally molded with an assembly part, the assembly part being assembled on the rear door, wherein: the seal part is hollow, the seal part comprising a first hollow wall and a second hollow wall, the first hollow wall extending toward the front door from the assembly part and facing the parting portion, the second hollow wall extending toward the front door from the assembly part and facing a body panel; a lip is formed on a position, which is on a side of the front door and on which the first hollow wall and the second hollow wall make contact with each other, the lip protruding toward an outer-cabin side; the first hollow wall is 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, the assembly part is immovably assembled on the rear door; and when high pressure water splashes the seal part, the first hollow wall is widely bent toward the second hollow wall and the assembly part.

5. The sealing structure of the parting portion as claimed in claim 4, wherein: the assembly part is forked into a first assembly wall on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall on an inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door, and a garnish is provided on an outer-cabin side of the rear door for fixing the first assembly wall between the rear door and the garnish.

6. The sealing structure of the parting portion as claimed in claim 4, wherein: when high pressure water splashes the seal part, the seal part is ineffective in making elastic contact with the body panel of an automobile.

7. The parting seal as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the assembly part is forked into a first assembly wall on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall on an inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door, the second assembly wall thickens toward the inner-cabin side, and a thickness of the second assembly wall in a width direction of an automobile is thicker than the thickness of the second hollow wall.

8. The sealing structure of the parting portion as claimed in claim 5, wherein: when high pressure water splashes the seal part, the seal part is ineffective in making elastic contact with the body panel of an automobile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is an I-I line enlarged cross section of FIG. 6, illustrating a sealing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention of a parting portion;

[0041] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section of a parting seal shown in FIG. 1;

[0042] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section of a part 800, according to an embodiment of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross section of the parting seal shown in FIG. 3 with high pressure water splashing the parting seal;

[0044] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the part 800, according to another embodiment of FIG. 1;

[0045] FIG. 6 is a side view of a four-door sedan;

[0046] FIG. 7 is an I-I line enlarged cross section of FIG. 6, illustrating a sealing structure according to a prior art of a parting portion;

[0047] FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross section of a part 900 of FIG. 7; and

[0048] FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross section of the part 900, according to another embodiment of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0049] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, a sealing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention of a parting portion will be described.

[0050] FIG. 1 illustrates the sealing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention of the parting portion. FIG. 1 corresponds to an I-I line enlarged cross section of FIG. 6. When constituents or items correspond to those in prior arts, the same symbols are used.

[0051] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sealing structure of the parting portion is 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 parting seal 50 from an inner-cabin side. The parting seal 50 includes an assembly part 51 and a seal part 52. 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 door 1, front door 2) and a surface of a center pillar 4.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the front door 2 is closed, a hollow seal part 62 of a front side weather strip 60 makes elastic contact with an outer-cabin side on a front side of the center pillar 4. An installation member 61 of the front side weather strip 60 is operatively coupled on a peripheral edge of the front door 2. In the same manner, when the rear door 1 is closed, a hollow seal part 72 of a rear side weather strip 70 makes elastic contact with an outer-cabin side on a rear side of the center pillar 4. An installation member 71 of the rear side weather strip 70 is operatively coupled on a peripheral edge of the rear door 1. As the hollow seal part 62 of the front side weather strip 60 makes elastic contact with the center pillar 4 and bends, a tip 62a on a side of the rear door 1 of the hollow seal part 62 rises toward an outer-cabin side thereby forming a triangular space 9 between the center pillar 4 and the tip 62a of the hollow seal part 62.

[0053] The sealing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention of the parting portion prevents high pressure water 700 from splashing the triangular space 9 from the outer-cabin side through the parting portion while spraying water for washing the automobiles or thunderstorm, and entering the inner-cabin side.

[0054] The parting seal 50 diverges from an upper part of a front end of a rear side weather strip 70 and extends downward to a position on a belt line.

[0055] The assembly part 51 of the parting seal 50 is forked into a first assembly wall 511 on the outer-cabin side and a second assembly wall 512 on the inner-cabin side and sandwiches a hemming-connected front end of the rear door 1.

[0056] The first assembly wall 511 has a substantially L-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the first assembly wall 511 includes: a short side 511a, which abuts with a top end of the rear door 1; and a long side 511b, which abuts with an outer-cabin side surface of the rear door 1.

[0057] The long side 511b has: a protrusion 511ba formed on an outer-cabin side on a front side thereof; and a protrusion 511bb formed on the outer-cabin side on a rear side thereof, respectively.

[0058] The second assembly wall 512 thickens toward the inner-cabin side as a side of a tip 512a and has a substantially ridge-shaped (triangular-shaped) cross section. The short side 511a of the first assembly wall 511 connects with a substantial center of a base 512b of the second assembly wall 512. The base 512b of the second assembly wall 512, which extends rearward from a positicn of connection (short side 511a and base 512b), abuts with an inner-cabin side surface of the rear door 1.

[0059] The seal part 52 of the parting seal 50 is hollow and includes a first hollow wall 521 and a second hollow wall 522. The first hollow wall 521 extends toward the front door 2 from the assembly part 51 and faces the parting portion (outer-cabin side). The second hollow wall 522 extends toward the front door 2 from the assembly part 51 and faces the center pillar 4 at a back (inner-cabin side) of the parting portion.

[0060] The second hollow wall 522 is substantially linear in cross section. The second hollow wall 522 extends in a diagonal direction, which is toward the side of the front door 2 and the inner-cabin side, from the tip 512a of the second assembly wall 512 of the assembly part 51. A thickness at a center of the second hollow wall 522 is thicker than: a thickness on a top end of the second hollow wall 522 as a side of the front door 2; and a thickness on a rear end of the second hollow wall 522 as a side of the rear door 1.

[0061] The first hollow wall 521 is curved and protrudes toward the outer-cabin side. A top end of the first hollow wall 521 as the side of the front door 2 connects with the top end of the second hollow wall 522. A rear end of the first hollow wall 521 as the side of the rear door 1 connects with and rises from the top end of the base 512b of the second assembly wall 512 of the assembly part 51 toward the outer-cabin side.

[0062] A lip 53 is formed on a position, which is on the side of the front door 2 and on which the top end of the first hollow wall 521 and the top end of second hollow wall 522 make contact with each other. The lip 53 protrudes in a diagonal direction, which is toward the side of the front door 2 and the outer-cabin side. A width 53T of the lip 53 is thicker than a thickness 521T of the first hollow wall 521. The lip 53 protrudes by a length 53L, which is substantially half a curvature 521S of the first hollow wall 521 from an inner-cabin side surface of the top end of the second hollow wall 522.

[0063] A thickness 521T of the first hollow wall 521, which is thinner than a thickness 522T of the second hollow wall 522, is easier to bend. A thickness 512T of a second assembly wall 512 in a width direction of an automobile is thicker than a thickness 522T of the second hollow wall 522. Length 512bL of the base 512b of the second assembly wall 512 is shorter than length 522L of the second hollow wall 522 in cross section.

[0064] The assembly part 51 is firmly assembled on the rear door 1. Specifically, the assembly part 51, which is free of a core, is immovable and does not bend while sandwiching the front end of the rear door 1 with the first assembly wall 511 and the second assembly wall 512.

[0065] In addition, a garnish 57 is provided on an outer-cabin side of the rear door 1 and a garnish 58 is provided on an outer-cabin side of the front door 2. The garnish 57 on the side of the rear door 1, together with the rear door 1, fixes the first assembly wall 511 of the assembly part 51. More specifically, the assembly part 51 is firmly assembled on the rear door 1 by: inserting a pressing piece 57a of the garnish 57 in a concave 55; and pressing an inner-cabin side surface of the garnish 57 against the protrusions 511ba and 511bb on the first assembly wall 511. The pressing piece 57a, which is a part of the garnish 57 on a side of the front door 2, is bent toward the inner-cabin side. The concave 55 is formed between the first hollow wall 521 of the seal part 52 and the first assembly wall 511 of the assembly part 51.

[0066] The first hollow wall 521 and the lip 53 are made of sponge rubber material. The second hollow wall 522 and the assembly part 51 are made of solid (dense) rubber material. Resin materials, thermoplastic elastomer for example, can substitute for the rubber materials.

[0067] In the sealing structure according to the embodiment the present invention of the parting portion, the assembly part 51, which is integrally molded with the seal part 52, is free of the core and assembled on the rear door 1. The seal part 52 closes the parting portion between the rear end of the front door 2 and the front end of the rear door 1. The absence of the core in the assembly part 51 reduces weight and lowers cost.

[0068] In addition, the seal part 52 is hollow, including the first hollow wall 521 on the outer-cabin side and the second hollow wall 522 on the inner-cabin side, and the assembly part 51 is immovably assembled on the rear door 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the first hollow wall 521, made of sponge material, is widely bent toward the second hollow wall 522 and the assembly part 51 when high pressure water 700 splashes the seal part 52 while spraying water for washing the automobile for example. Under the same condition that high pressure water 700 splashes the seal part 52, the assembly part 51, made of solid (dense) material, is immovable; and the second hollow wall 522, made of the solid (dense) material, slightly bends. High pressure water 700, which splashes the parting portion from the outer-cabin side, straightly advances toward a center pillar 4 through the parting portion. In other words, high pressure water 700 advances in a direction perpendicular to an outer-cabin side surface of the center pillar 4. As high pressure water 700 hits the first hollow wall 521 of the seal part 52, a direction of high pressure water 700 is forcibly re-directed at an angle and advances frontward along an outer-cabin side surface of the first hollow wall 521.

[0069] In addition, the lip 53 made of the sponge material is formed on the position, which is on the 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. Also, the lip 53 protrudes toward the outer-cabin side. With the formation of the lip 53, the direction of high pressure water 700, which is directed along the outer-cabin side surface of the first hollow wall 521, is forcibly re-directed at an angle and advances toward the outer-cabin side along the outer-cabin side surface of the lip 53.

[0070] This configuration prevents high pressure water 700 from directly hitting a front side weather strip 60 and entering the inner-cabin side from the space between the front side weather strip 60 and the center pillar 4. Since high pressure water 700 does not enter the inner-cabin side, water does not leak.

[0071] The assembly part 51 is immovably assembled on the rear door 1 and made of the solid (dense) material in the same manner as the second hollow wall 522. Accordingly, the seal part 52 does not make elastic contact with the center pillar 4. In addition, the assembly part 51 and the second hollow wall 522, which do not flutter widely in the outer and inner cabin side direction, stabilize the direction of high pressure water 700 and fix a direction in which the lip 53 protrudes.

[0072] In addition, the first hollow wall 521 of the seal part 52, 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 wall 521 also improves appearance. The second hollow wall 522, which is substantially linear in cross section and which extends toward the front door from the assembly part 51, directs high pressure water 700 to the lip 53 stably and substantially linearly when the first hollow wall 521 bends as well as enables the first hollow wall 521 to be widely curved toward the outer-cabin side. Also, the thickness 521T of the first hollow wall 521 is thinner than the thickness 522T of the second hollow wall 522. With this configuration, when high pressure water 700 splashes the first hollow wall 521, only the first hollow wall 521 is positively bent.

[0073] The seal lip 40 according to the prior art, having the substantially tongue-shaped cross section, has been required to make elastic contact with the center pillar 4 as well as close the parting portion. But, the first hollow wall 521 according to the embodiment of the present invention need not make elastic contact with the center pillar 4 and is only required to close the parting portion. In addition, length and shape of the first hollow wall 521, which is corresponding to the seal lip 40 according to the prior art, does not have a harmful influence on opening and closing the door.

[0074] In addition, the assembly part 51 is forked into the first assembly wall 511 on the outer-cabin side and the second assembly wall 512 on the inner-cabin side for sandwiching the front end of the rear door 1, the second assembly wall 512 thickens toward the inner-cabin side, and the thickness 512T in the width direction of the automobile is thicker than the thickness 522T of the second hollow wall 522. With this configuration, the assembly part 51 is immovably assembled on the rear door 1 more firmly.

[0075] The second assembly wall 512, at least, of the assembly part 51 may be made of material higher in rigidity. As shown in FIG. 5, this configuration eliminates the need for thickening the second assembly wall 512 toward the inner-cabin side. The resultant assembly part 51 has a substantially U-shaped cross section.

[0076] In the embodiment of the present invention, the lip 53 is made of the sponge material. FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 illustrate that the lip 53 is continuous with the first hollow wall 521. Alternatively, the lip 53 may be made of the solid (dense) material and continuous with the second hollow wall 522 for resisting pressure from high pressure water 700. But, the lip 53, which is continuous with the first hollow wall 521 and made of the sponge material as in the embodiment of the present invention, forms a uniform outer-cabin side surface of the parting seal 50 without a dividing line of the materials and is improved in appearance.

[0077] The parting seal 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention diverges from the upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip 70 and extends downward. In this connection, the parting seal 50 may be unified with the rear side weather strip 70, which is not separable from the rear side weather strip 70, or not unified with the rear side weather strip 70, which is separable from the rear side weather strip 70. Known methods of unifying the parting seal 50 with the rear side weather strip 70 include: thermally fusion-bonding the parting seal 50 with a die-molded upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip 70 while the upper part of the front end is being die-molded; and using adhesive between the parting seal 50 and the upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip 70, which may be die-molded or not die-molded. A separable structure, not as the embodiment of the present invention in which the parting seal 50 diverges from the upper part of the front end of the rear side weather strip 70, may include an embodiment that has an obvious opening or space between the parting seal 50 and the rear side weather strip 70.