HOUSING FOR MOTOR VEHICLE-RELATED USES

Abstract

A housing for motor vehicle-related uses, which comprises at least one housing wall and at least one first sealing element connected to the housing wall for orienting and guiding a second sealing element made of a different material by comparison with the first sealing element. According to the invention the first sealing element is designed as at least one arm which yields resiliently relative to the housing wall. The arm supports the second sealing element on its surface remote from the housing.

Claims

1. A housing for motor vehicle-related uses comprising: a housing wall, a first sealing element, and a second sealing element, wherein the first sealing element is connected to the housing wall for aligning and guiding the second sealing element, the second sealing element being made of a different material from the first sealing element, and wherein the first sealing element has a resiliently yielding arm which yields resiliently relative to the housing wall and supports the second sealing element on a surface of the resiliently yielding arm remote from the housing.

2. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the resiliently yielding arm has two parts including an arm stump connected to the housing wall and an arm wing supporting the second sealing element.

3. The housing according to claim 2, wherein the arm wing is oriented parallel to a longitudinal extent of the housing wall.

4. The housing according to claim 2, wherein the arm wing is positioned at a horizontal distance from the housing wall to form a free region between the housing wall and the arm wing.

5. The housing according to claim 2, wherein the arm stump and the arm wing enclose an acute angle between them.

6. The housing according to claim 2, wherein the arm stump and the arm wing taken together have a V-shaped cross section.

7. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the resiliently yielding arm and the housing wall are made of a same material.

8. The housing according to claim 7, wherein the resiliently yielding arm is molded onto the housing wall.

9. The housing according to claim 8, wherein the resiliently yielding arm and the housing wall are formed as an injection-molded part made of a plastics material.

10. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the second sealing element is at least one of an elastomer and a foam seal.

Description

[0024] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to drawings which show only one exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an inventive housing for motor vehicle-related uses in the form of a motor vehicle latch housing and a connector housing,

[0026] FIG. 2 schematically shows the object according to FIG. 1 in cross section in a first variant and

[0027] FIG. 3 shows the object of FIG. 2 in another modified variant.

[0028] A housing for motor vehicle-related uses is shown in the figures. In fact, the housing in question is a latch housing 1 on the one hand and a connector housing 2 on the other. In principle, however, completely different and deviating housing shapes can also be realized at this point. FIG. 1 shows that the latch housing 1 there is equipped with a seal, which is formed essentially in two parts with a first sealing element 3 and a second sealing element 4. With the help of the seal realized in this way on the latch housing 1, the latch housing 1 can be fixed inside a motor vehicle door (not shown). The seal generally ensures that a dry region 5 is separated from a wet region 6.

[0029] In detail, the first sealing element 3 is connected to a housing wall 1a as part of the housing or latch housing 1. In general, the first sealing element 3 can also be connected to a housing wall 2a of the connector housing 2. In addition, the first sealing element 3 ensures alignment and guidance of the second sealing element 4. The second sealing element 4 is made of a different material than the first sealing element 3.

[0030] In fact, the first sealing element 3 according to the exemplary embodiment and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is formed onto the housing wall 1a or 2a. In other words, the first sealing element 3 and the housing wall 1a or 2a are made of the same material and, according to the exemplary embodiment, are made of plastics material. The plastics material for the housing wall 1a or the housing 1 and the first sealing element 3 is typically a thermoplastic, for example POM (polyoxymethylene). The same applies to the connector housing 2. In contrast, the second sealing element 4 is made of a different material. This is typically an elastomeric plastics material and/or a foam plastics material, for example one based on PUR (polyurethane).

[0031] From a structural point of view, it is possible to recognize, in particular when comparing the sectional views according to FIGS. 2 and 3, that the first sealing element 3 is designed as at least one arm 3 which yields resiliently relative to the housing wall 1a, 2a. The resiliently yielding arm 3 supports the second sealing element 4 on its surface remote from the housing. In fact, the second sealing element 4 is, for example, glued onto this surface remote from the housing, specifically in the manner already described in the introduction. For this purpose, the surface of the first sealing element 3 remote from the housing may first be cleaned and microstructured with a heat source that is limited in terms of area, with the sealing compound defining the second sealing element 4 then being adhesively applied to the regions of the surface treated in this way.

[0032] According to the exemplary embodiment, the resiliently yielding arm or the first sealing element 3 is designed in two parts overall. In fact, the resiliently yielding arm or the first sealing element 3 has an arm stump 3a connected to the housing wall 1a, 2a and an arm wing 3b connected to the arm stump 3a and supporting the second sealing element 4. The arm wing 3b is largely oriented parallel to the longitudinal extent of the housing wall 1a.

[0033] In addition, one can see from the sectional views in FIGS. 2 and 3 that the arm stump 3a and the arm wing 3b enclose an acute angle between them. In this way, the arm stump 3a and the arm wing 3b are assembled and formed into a V-shape in cross section. As a result of this, the arm wing 3b is spaced horizontally relative to the housing wall 1a, 2a, and a free region 7 is defined at this point.

[0034] The arm wing 3b can move into this free region 7 when mounting the latch housing 1 on the motor vehicle door (not shown) as shown by the corresponding arrows in FIG. 2 and by the mounting position reached thereby in the embodiment shown in dashed lines. In this assembly, the procedure is also such that the arm stump 3a, which is overall V-shaped in cross section, and the arm wing 3b are open in the direction of the wet region 6. In other words, an apex of the V-shape points in the direction of the dry region 5, so that the combined effect of the first sealing element 3 in conjunction with the second sealing element 4 ensures that, starting from the wet region 6, neither dust nor moisture can get into the dry region 5.

[0035] A design that is comparable to that described above can also be implemented in the connector housing 2. In this case, instead of the housing wall 1a, a corresponding housing wall 2a of the connector housing 2 is designed accordingly, as is expressed in particular in the sectional views according to FIGS. 2 and 3. In both cases, a gap S is bridged and closed overall with the aid of the first sealing element 3 in conjunction with the second sealing element 4. The second sealing element 4 has a material thickness T that is significantly smaller than the width of the gap S, or is only a maximum of 30% or 20% of the width of the gap S.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs 1, 2 Housing 1 Latch housing 2 Connector housing 1a, 2a Housing wall 3 Yielding arm/first sealing element 3a Arm stump 3b Arm wing 4 Sealing element/second sealing element 5 Dry region 6 Wet region 7 Free region S Gaps T Material thickness