Weather strip structure

• US 8,312,689 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Terazawa, Masao, Hashimoto, Takashi, Asakura, Akihiko, Osanai, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilbert, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERENCE, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US12/110,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20080289285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 527/170.1, 527/165, 527/168, 527/162, 522/046.9, 522/08, 522/045.3, 522/045, 522/043.69, 522/046.2, 527/161, 527/170.3, 527/170.4, 527/170.5, 296/84.1, 296/146.14, 296/146.15, 296/96.21
• US Class Current: 52/716.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/25 characterised by water drainage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/30 characterised by the fastening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/78 adjacent to corner pieces, mirror supports or quarter windows

Abstract

A weather strip includes a bottom wall that faces or is in contact with an end face of a fixed window glass that closes a window opening of a side door. An outer wall extends from the bottom wall on an outer side of the vehicle body with respect to the fixed window glass, and an inner wall extends from the bottom wall on an inner side of the vehicle body with respect to the fixed window glass so that the inner wall and the outer wall sandwich a peripheral portion of the fixed window glass in a thickness direction. The inner wall is provided with a spacing groove for creating a space between the fixed window glass and the inner wall.

Claims

1. A weather strip structure comprising:

a bottom wall that faces or is in contact with an end face of a window glass that is fixedly held in a position such that a window opening of a vehicle body is closed;

an outer wall that extends from the bottom wall on an outer side of the vehicle body with respect to the window glass;

an inner wall that extends from the bottom wall on an inner side of the vehicle body with respect to the window glass so that the inner wall and the outer wall sandwich a peripheral portion of the window glass in a thickness direction;

a first side groove which is provided in the inner wall and which provides a first gap space enclosed by a side face of the window glass and the inner wall;

a first lip that is provided on the inner wall, and wherein the first lip protrudes, on a side of the inner wall, the side facing the window glass; and

a second side groove which is disposed on the inner wall and which provides a second gap space enclosed by the side face of the window glass and the inner wall, such that the first lip is disposed between the first and second side grooves; and

wherein a portion of the inner wall that is located above the first side groove contacts the side face of the window glass, and a portion of the inner wall that is located above the second side groove contacts the side face of the window glass, so that the first gap space and the second gap space are isolated from a space in a vehicle cabin.

2. The weather strip structure according to claim 1, wherein the first side groove is provided in the inner wall in a lower portion of the weather strip structure, the lower portion sandwiching, in the thickness direction, a lower edge portion, with respect to a height direction of a vehicle body, of the window glass by the inner wall and the outer wall.

3. The weather strip structure according to claim 1, wherein the first lip is provided between one of the first and second side grooves and the bottom wall.

4. The weather strip structure according to claim 1, further comprising a through hole passing through the bottom wall in a lower portion of the weather strip structure, the lower portion sandwiching a lower edge portion, with respect to a height direction of the vehicle body, of the window glass by the inner wall and the outer wall.

5. The weather strip structure according to claim 4, wherein the through hole is at least partially offset with respect to the window glass toward an outside of the vehicle body.

6. The weather strip structure according to claim 4, further comprising a bottom groove that is provided in the bottom wall, wherein the bottom groove is open in a direction toward an end face of the window glass, and communicates with the through hole.

7. The weather strip according to claim 6, wherein the bottom groove is offset with respect to a center portion of the window glass in the thickness direction of the window glass toward an outside of the vehicle body.

8. The weather strip structure according to claim 6, further comprising a second lip that is provided on a central portion of the bottom wall in a vehicle width direction, wherein the bottom groove is provided on an outer side of the vehicle body with respect to the second lip and is offset toward an outside of the vehicle body.

9. The weather strip structure according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of the through hole in a vehicle width is wider than a thickness of the window glass in the vehicle width direction.

10. The weather strip structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second side grooves has a depth of at least 1 mm.

11. The weather strip structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second lip that is provided on a central portion of the bottom wall in a vehicle width direction, wherein the portion of the weather strip on the outer side of the second lip in the vehicle width direction has a depth greater than that of the portion of the weather strip on the inner side of the second lip in the vehicle width direction.

12. The weather strip structure according to claim 1, further comprising a third lip provided between the bottom wall and one of the first side groove and the second side groove, which is at a lower position than the other of the first side groove and the second side groove.

13. A weather strip structure comprising:

a bottom wall that faces or is in contact with an end face of a window glass that is fixedly held in a position such that a window opening of a vehicle body is closed;

an outer wall that extends from the bottom wall on an outer side of the vehicle body with respect to the window glass;

an inner wall that extends from the bottom wall on an inner side of the vehicle body with respect to the window glass so that the inner wall and the outer wall sandwich a peripheral portion of the window glass in a thickness direction;

wherein the bottom wall includes a first portion and a second portion, and wherein a groove is provided in said second portion, and further wherein at least part of said groove is spaced further from said window glass than at least part of said first portion such that if said window glass contacts said at least part of said first portion a space is maintained between said window glass and said bottom wall in said groove; and

a through hole that passes through said weather strip, wherein said through hole is in communication with said groove;

wherein said inner and outer walls sandwich said window glass in a thickness direction at least first and second locations, and wherein said second location is closer to said bottom wall than said first location with respect to a height direction of the vehicle;

wherein said inner wall includes a first side groove to provide a first gap space enclosed by the inner wall and a side face of the window glass at a position between said first and second locations; and

wherein a second side groove is disposed on the inner wall to provide a second gap space enclosed by the side face of the window glass and the inner wall, and a lip is disposed between the first and second side grooves; and

wherein a portion of the inner wall that is located above the first side groove contacts the side face of the window glass, and a portion of the inner wall that is located above the second side groove contacts the side face of the window glass, so that the first gap space and the second gap space are isolated from a space in a vehicle cabin.

14. The weather strip structure according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second side grooves has a depth of at least 1 mm.

15. The weather strip structure according to claim 13, wherein a thickness of the through hole in a vehicle width direction is wider than a thickness of the window glass in the vehicle width direction.

16. The weather strip structure according to claim 13, further comprising a second lip that is provided on a central portion of the bottom wall in a vehicle width direction, wherein the portion of the weather strip on the outer side of the second lip in the vehicle width direction has a depth greater than that of the portion of the weather strip on the inner side of the second lip in the vehicle width direction.

17. The weather strip structure according to claim 13, wherein the weather strip structure is disposed between an inner panel of a vehicle and an outer panel of a vehicle, and water is discharged to a space between the inner panel and the outer panel through the through hole.