Weather strip

• US 8,402,696 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwasa, Norimasa, Aritake, Masanori, Toki, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Katherine W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Menezes, Marcus
• Application Number:
  US13/200,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20120031009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 494/901, 494/981, 494/751, 494/951, 428/122, 296/146.9
• US Class Current: 49/490.1
• 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 10/248 having two or more tubular cavities, e.g. formed by partition walls
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/84 arranged on the vehicle body

Abstract

A weather strip includes a trim portion that is a substantially U-shaped, that is mounted on a flange portion provided along a door opening circumference portion of a vehicle, and that is equipped with a vehicle outer-sided side wall portion, a vehicle inner-sided side wall portion, and a coupling portion for coupling the side wall portions to each other, and a seal portion including a hollow portion. The seal portion includes a first elongated portion which is elongated to a vehicle outer side from a portion located in a vicinity of a boundary portion between the seal portion and the coupling portion of the vehicle outer-sided side wall portion, a second elongated portion which is elongated to a vehicle outer side from a portion located in a vicinity of a tip portion of the vehicle outer-sided side wall portion, and an expanded portion having substantially an arc shape.

Claims

1. A weather strip, comprising:

a trim portion that has a substantially U-shaped form of a sectional plane thereof, that is mounted on a flange portion provided along a door opening circumference portion of a vehicle, and that is equipped with a vehicle outer-sided side wall portion, a vehicle inner-sided side wall portion, and a coupling portion for coupling both the side wall portions to each other; and

a seal portion comprising a hollow portion, in which the seal portion contacts a circumferential portion of a door of the vehicle under pressure when the door is closed,

wherein the seal portion comprises;

a first elongated portion which is elongated to a vehicle outer side from a portion located in a vicinity of a boundary portion between the seal portion and the coupling portion of the vehicle outer-sided side wall portion;

a second elongated portion which is elongated to the vehicle outer side from a portion located in a vicinity of a tip portion of the vehicle outer-sided side wall portion; and

an expanded portion having substantially an arc shape, which constitutes a convex shape on the vehicle outer side, the expanded portion coupling a tip portion of the first elongated portion to a tip portion of the second elongated portion,

wherein the first and second elongated portions comprise a same material, and the expanded portion comprises a sponge material,

wherein the weather strip further comprises;

a bridge for coupling the expanded portion to a portion located in a vicinity of a boundary portion between the bridge and a first extended portion of the vehicle outer-sided side wall portion within the hollow portion, and for dividing the hollow portion into a first hollow portion on an inner circumferential side of the door opening, and a second hollow portion on an outer circumferential side of the door opening; and

a portion within the expanded portion, which forms the first hollow portion, said portion within the expanded portion abuts against the circumferential portion of the door and is depressed to a vehicle inner side when the door is closed,

wherein the expanded portion comprises;

a thicker-thickness portion comprising a portion which abuts against the circumferential portion of the door when the door is closed, the thicker-thickness portion being located at the first hollow portion; and

a thinner-thickness portion located between the thicker-thickness portion and a contact portion of the bridge, and between the thicker-thickness portion and a tip portion of the first elongated portion,

wherein the bridge comprises the sponge material,

wherein a lip portion is located between the expanded portion to and an inner circumferential side of a door opening, and

wherein a thickness of an entirety of the portion of the thicker-thickness portion which abuts against the circumferential portion of the door is greater that a thickness of an entirety of a remaining portion of the first hollow portion other than the portion of the thicker-thickness portion which abuts against the circumferential portion of the door.

2. The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein a sponge layer elongated from the expanded portion is formed on a side of an outer surface of the second elongated portion.

3. The weather strip according to claim 1, wherein the bridge is elongated in a substantially linear form along a direction which is obliquely intersected with respect to a opening and closing direction of the door.

4. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thicker-thickness portion of the seal portion that is provided at a side of the first hollow portion contacts the door, and the thicker-thickness portion is formed so as to be between the thinner-thickness portion.

5. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein a position of the contact portion of the bridge with respect to the expanded portion is set within such a range that a value is larger than, or equal to 0.20, and is smaller than, or equal to 0.35, and the value is calculated by dividing a circumferential length of the expanded portion from a tip portion of the second elongated portion up to the contact portion of the bridge by another circumferential length of the expanded portion from a tip portion of the second elongated portion up to a tip portion of the first elongated portion.

6. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the thicker-thickness portion is in a range from 1.1 times to 1.4 times of a thickness of the thinner-thickness portion.

7. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein a position of the contact portion of the bridge with respect to the expanded portion is set within such a range that a value is larger than, or equal to 0.20, and is smaller than, or equal to 0.35, and the value is calculated by dividing a circumferential length of the expanded portion from a tip portion of the second elongated portion up to the contact portion of the bridge by another circumferential length of the expanded portion from the tip portion of the second elongated portion up to a tip portion of the first elongated portion, and

wherein a thickness of the thicker-thickness portion is in a range from 1.1 times to 1.4 times of a thickness of the thinner-thickness portion.

8. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein another portion within the expanded portion, which forms the second hollow portion, does not abut against the door when the door is closed.

9. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein an entirety of the second hollow portion does not abut against the door when the door is closed.

10. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein another portion within the expanded portion, which forms the second hollow portion, is located away from an abutting area of the expanded portion against the door.

11. The weather strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein an entirety of another portion within the expanded portion, which forms the second hollow portion, is located away from an abutting area of the expanded portion against the door.