Weather strip for automobiles

• US 9,738,146 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nishikawa Rubber Company Limited, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nishikawa Rubber Company Limited, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Daio, Masayuki, Nakamura, Tomonori, Otsuka, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): REPHANN, JUSTIN B
• Application Number:
  US15/191,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20170001502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 494901, 494981
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/24 having tubular parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/25 characterised by water drainage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/32 using integral U-shaped retainers
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/84 arranged on the vehicle body

Abstract

A hollow seal member integrally molded with an installation base member includes a first hollow wall with a first bent point as a part bendable toward an outside and a second hollow wall with a second bent point as a part bendable toward the outside. A protrusion is formed on an end of a second outer-cabin side wall, which is continuous with an outer surface of the second outer-cabin side wall, protrudes upward with respect to the first hollow wall, and makes elastic contact with a door. An end of a first outer-cabin side wall connects with a position on the second outer-cabin side wall as an inner side of the hollow seal member, from which the protrusion protrudes toward the outer-cabin side. A thick part, which protrudes toward an outer side, is formed on the first outer-cabin side wall as the outer side of the hollow seal member.

Claims

1. A weather strip for automobiles comprising:

an installation base member configured to be coupled along a circumferential edge of a door opening of an automobile body; and

a hollow seal member integrally molded with the installation base member and configured to make elastic contact with a door of the automobile body, the hollow seal member including;

a first wall having a first outer-cabin segment, a first inner-cabin segment, and a first bent point on an inside surface of the first wall and bendable toward an outside surface of the first wall opposite the inside surface of the first wall;

a second wall having a second outer-cabin segment, a second inner-cabin segment, and a second bent point on an inside surface of the second wall and bendable toward an outside surface of the second wall opposite the inside surface of the second wall, the first wall and the second wall being connected with each other such that the first bent point and the second bent point are spaced apart from each other;

a protrusion formed on an end of the second outer-cabin segment of said second wall, the protrusion being continuous with the outer surface of the second wall, the protrusion protruding in a direction away from the installation base member and configured to make elastic contact with said door, an outer-cabin end of the first outer-cabin segment connecting with the second outer-cabin segment of said second wall at a position on the inside surface of said second wall, said protrusion protruding in a direction away from the installation base member from the position; and

a thick part formed on a portion of the outside surface of the first outer-cabin segment of said first wall, the thick part protruding in a direction away from the inside surface of the first outer-cabin segment, said thick part gradually reduced in at least one of thickness or rigidity towards said first bent point of said first outer-cabin segment, the thick part having an apex thicker than at least one other part of the thick part closer to the outer-cabin end of the first outer-cabin segment than a center of the first outer-cabin segment and slopes toward the outer-cabin end of the first outer-cabin segment and toward the inside surface of the first wall from the apex,

wherein when said hollow seal member makes elastic contact with said door, said hollow seal member bends with said first bent point sinking toward the installation base member, and the protrusion falls toward the side of the thick part to narrow a space of a channel defined between the protrusion and the first outer-cabin segment.

2. The weather strip for automobiles as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

an outer-cabin end of said protrusion is on a side of said first wall with respect to a straight line which divides said hollow seal member in cross section into the side of said first wall and a side of said second wall.

3. A weather strip for forming a seal between a door opening of an automobile body and a door of the automobile body, the weather strip comprising:

a seal member including;

a first wall having a first inner segment and a first outer segment, the first inner segment having an inner end configured to secure to an installation base member and an outer end, the first outer segment having an inner end joined to the outer end of the first inner segment at a first bent point, the first outer segment having an apex between the inner end and outer end thereof, the first outer segment having a first thickness at the inner end thereof, a second thickness at the apex, and a third thickness at the outer end thereof, the second thickness being greater than the first and third thicknesses;

a second wall having a second inner segment and a second outer segment joined at a second bent point, an outer end of the first outer segment connected to the second outer segment of the second wall to define a cavity the seal member; and

a protrusion extending from an outer end of the second outer segment, the protrusion configured to make elastic contact with a door such that the outer ends of the first and second outer segments move in a first direction towards inner ends of the first and second inner segments, the first bent point moves in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and the second bent point moves in a third direction transverse to the first direction and opposite the second direction, and the protrusion falls towards the first outer segment to narrow a space of a channel defined between the protrusion and the first outer segment.

4. The weather strip according to claim 3, further comprising the installation base member integrally formed with seal member.

5. The weather strip according to claim 4, wherein the inner end of the first inner segment extends from the installation base member and the inner end of the second inner segment extends from the installation base member.

6. The weather strip according to claim 4, wherein the installation base member is configured to couple to a circumferential edge of a door opening of an automobile body.

7. The weather strip according to claim 3, wherein the third thickness is greater than the first thickness.

8. The weather strip according to claim 3, wherein an inside surface of the first outer segment defining the cavity is linear from the inner end to the outer end thereof.

9. The weather strip according to claim 3, wherein the apex is closer to the outer end than the inner end of the first outer segment.