Seal for motor vehicle opening frame

• US 6,922,945 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BTR Sealing Systems France
• Original Assignee: BTR Sealing Systems France
• Inventors: Dron, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US10/048,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 494/751, 494/771, 494/901, 494/981
• US Class Current: 49/477.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/16 consisting of two or more plastic materials having different physical or chemical properties B60J10/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/244 inflatable or deflatable
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/246 having projections, e.g. ribs, within the tubular parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/248 having two or more tubular cavities, e.g. formed by partition walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/84 arranged on the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/46 with packing ring expanded or pressed into place by fluid pressure, e.g. inflatable packings connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00; for sealing arrangements in vehicles B60J10/244; for sealing arrangements of openings in buildings E06B7/2318; for tube connections F16L

Abstract

A seal with a first profiled section, a second profiled section (5) housed inside a third profiled section made of an elastically deformable flexible material, the third profile section forming by itself or with the part of the first and/or the second profiled section a sealed tubular member connected to a source of fluid under pressure and adapted under the action of the fluid, to be urged into contact with the inner face of the second profiled section (5), to improve the sealing and soundproof properties of the seal when the vehicle moves at a high speed.

Claims

1. An automotive seal for a surround of an opening formed in a bodywork of a motor vehicle, said seal comprising a first section piece (1) forming a clip of U-shaped cross section, which is adapted to seat over and grippingly engage a projecting part of the surround;

a second section piece (5) consisting of an elastically deformable flexible material, said second section piece abutting an outside of a branch of said first section piece and forming a tubular member, at least one orifice (6) in said second section piece fluidly communicating the inside of said second section piece with the outside of said second section piece, said second section piece being compressible by an opening leaf operatively associated with the opening in the bodywork upon said opening leaf being in a closed position; and

a third section piece (7, 10, 11) consisting of an elastically deformable flexible material having a hardness of between about 30 to about 35 Shore A being housed within the confines of said second section piece (5), said third section piece (7, 10, 11) forming a sealed tubular member connected to a source supplying a non compressible liquid under a variably controllable pressure to said sealed tubular member of gas-tight and liquid-tight construction and which is expansively deformable in response to said pressure generated by said liquid for coming into surface contact with an interior wall surface of said second section piece (5) so as to enhance the sealing and soundproofing properties of the seal.

2. A seal according to claim 1, wherein said third section piece (7) is adapted to be spaced inwardly from the interior wall surface of said second section piece (5) lower traveling speeds or stationary condition.

3. A seal according to claim 1, wherein said third section piece (10) is integrally formed with said second section piece (5).

4. A seal according to claim 1, wherein said second section piece (5) and said third section piece (7, 10) are formed by coextrusion with the first section piece (1).

5. A seal according to claim 1, wherein said third section piece (11) is a closed tubular member produced separately from said second section piece (5) and mounted inside said second section piece.

6. A seal according to claim 1, wherein the source of said pressurized liquid conveys said liquid into said third section piece at a pressure which increases with an increase in the speed of the vehicle.

7. A seal according to claim 1, wherein said liquid consists of water containing glycol.