GB2178463A

GB2178463A - Combined channel

Info

Publication number: GB2178463A
Application number: GB08518786A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herve Gommier; Jean-Michel Lamblin
Original assignee: Draftex Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Laird Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 1985-07-25
Filing date: 1985-07-25
Publication date: 1987-02-11
Also published as: GB2178463B; GB8518786D0; FR2585435B3; FR2585435A3

Abstract

A combined window channel and waist seal is described. The window channel (12A) comprises extruded material defining an inner channel 20 and outer channels 22 and 24, the latter having gripping lips 44 and being designed to embrace support flanges forming part of the window frame. The waist seal (12D) is formed by integrally extending one, only, of the outer channels 22 and cutting off the remainder of the extrusion. Cut-outs 50,52 through the material of the channel 22 enable the material to be bent to produce a sharp corner. A separate length of plastic foil 54 is fitted in the base of the inner channel 20 to provide a low-friction reinforcement. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sealing, guiding and finishing strips The invention relates to sealing, guiding and finishing strips such as for use, for example, on motor vehicle bodies.

According to the invention, there is provided a sealing, guiding and finishing arrangement for use around a window opening defined by a frame having at least one corner and having a slidable glass pane, comprising an integral length of material defining at least two longitudinally extending portions arranged end to end, the first such portion having a configuration defining two outer channels facing in one direction and separated by an inner channel facing in the opposite direction, the outer channels being arranged to embracingly grip respective parallel support members of the said frame so as to support the inner channel for receiving the slidable glass pane, the second such portion having a configuration defining only a single one of the outer channels which is arranged to embracingly grip a respective support member of the said frame so as to support the said single one of the outer channels along a part of the frame through which the glass pane slides.

According to the invention, there is also provided a sealing, guiding or finishing arrangement, comprising material defining a longitudinally extending channel configuration having one or more cut-outs extending through the base of the channel and through part of the side walls thereof so as to permit the two lengths of the material which meet adjacent the cut-out or cut-outs to be mutually bent so as to close-up the or each cut-out and to define a corner or radius or predetermined angle.

According to the invention, there is further provided a window guide channel, extruded from plastics or rubber material, and having a separate length of relatively stiff low-friction material placed on the inside surface of the base of the channel.

A combined window glass channel and waist seal arrangement for a motor vehicle body and embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a vehicle door and window to which the seal arrangement is fitted; Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the seal arrangement; Figure 3 is a section on the line Ill-Ill of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic side view showing a detail of the seal arrangement.

The seal arrangement now to be described is a composite arrangement for fitting to a window open ing on a motor vehicle body having a liftable and lowerable glass pane, such as, for example, the window opening in a conventional vehicle door.

As shown in Figure 1, the door 5 has a window opening 6 surrounded by a frame 8, and a closed-off lower part 10. A glass pane closes off the opening 6 and, as is conventional, can be lowered into the closed-off portion 10, and raised therefrom, by conventional window-lift mechanism or possibly by simple sliding action.

The seal to be described is an integral seal which extends completely around the opening 6 and is indicated diagrammatically in the Figure by the reference 12. As will be more specifically described below, the seal comprises lengths 1 2A, 1 2B and 1 2C which are channel-shape in cross-section so as to define channels in which the glass pane slides (in the case of the portions 1 2A and 12C) and into the mouth of which the glass pane enters (in the case of the portion 12B). The seal 12 is completed by a waist-seal portion 12D. This portion is not channel-shaped, because of course clearance has to be provided to permit the glass pane to be raised from and lowered into the closed-off portion 10.The portion 1 2D therefore comprises merely a seal which seals against the side (the outside) of the window glass.

Figure 2 shows in perspective form part of the channel-shaped portion 1 2A and part of the waist seal portion 12D, and the corner X between them.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the portion 1 2A is in the form of a central channel 20 facing inwardly of the window opening and two smaller channels 22 and 24 facing outwardly of the window opening. The central channel 20 is defined by a base 26 and two side walls 28 and 30 which carry integral hollow tubular sections 32 and 34.

The outer channels 22 and 24 are defined partly by the walls 28 and 30 which are integrally extended so as to form the bases 36 and 38 and the outer walls 40 and 42 of these outer channels.

The inside facing walls of the outer channels 22 and 24 are integrally formed with gripping lips 44.

The seal is advantageously formed from plastics or rubber material by an extrusion process and this process may be arranged to provide different parts of the structure with different degrees of hardness. Thus, the gripping lips 44 and the curved surfaces of the tubular sections 32 and 34 may be relatively softer than the remainder.

The surfaces within the central channel 20 are preferably flocked or similarly treated, particularly the facing surfaces of the tubular sections 32 and 34.

The door 5 is constructed to provide rigid, normally metal, flanges, which may be the sides of a metal channel, these flanges forming part of the frame 8 of the window opening. In use, the portion 1 2A of the seal arrangement is fitted in position by placing the outer channels 22 and 24 over the support flanges, the channels 22 and 24 gripping the support flanges and thus supporting the central channel 20 between them.

The lips 44 assist this gripping action. The portions 1 2B and 12C of the seal arrangement, not shown in Figure 2, are similarly fitted in position on their support flanges.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the cross-section of the portion 12D differs from that of the portion 12A.

The portion 1 2D comprises merely the wall 28, the tubular section 32 on one of its faces and the base 36 and the outer wall 40 defining the channel 22. In use, the portion 1 2D is fitted in position by placing the channel which it defines over a support flange on the door which runs along the base of the window opening 6, on the outside of the door.

As stated above, the seal arrangement is advantageously produced by an extrusion process, and the extrusion process may be arranged to produce a continuous length, all of which has the cross-section shown in Figure 3, its total length being equal to the peripheral length around the window opening 6. The portion 12D is produced by cutting this continous length, for an appropriate distance, along the junction where the base 26 meets the wall 28 so as to leave only the section shown in Figure 3, the remainder being discarded.

In use, the portion 12D is fitted in position by placing the channel which it defines over a support flange on the door which runs along the base of the window opening 6, on the outside of the door.

In use, therefore, the window pane has clearance to allow it to be raised upwards from or lowered into the lower part 10 of the door, and in so doing slides past and in contact with the tubular section 32 of the portion 12D, and slides within the central channel 20 defined by the portions 1 2A and 12C of the seal. As it continues to rise, its upper edge eventually enters the mouth of the channel 20 in the portion 1 2B of the seal.

The flocking on the tubular portions 32 and 34 helps to provide a relatively low friction on the surface of the window pane. Instead, other low friction material such as PTFE or polyurethane may be applied, such as by spraying.

As already indicated, the complete seal arrangement is advantageously produced in a continuous length. In order to enable it to be readily bent at the corners in the window opening 6, the material is provided with slits as will now be described with particular reference to Figure 2 and the corner Y shown therein and to Figure 5.

As shown in Figure 2, there are two slits 50 and 52 in the material defining the outer channel 22. These slits extend completely through the base 36 of the channel and partway through the walls 28 and 40 and the tubular portion 32. Figure 5 shows the part of the seal arrangement, in the region of the corner Y, but removed from the door and opened out so as to open the slits 50 and 52. The slits are configured so as to ensure that when the seal arrangement is placed in position on the door, they permit sufficient bending to form the required angle at the corner and are substantially completely closed up (so as to preserve good sealing action).Referring to Figure 1, it will be apparent that, at the corners W and X, not only does the channel 22 continue around the corner but so does the channel 24, and therefore both tubular portions 32 and 34, together with the walls 30, the base 38 and the outer wall 42 defining the channel 24 will have to be provided with slots (corresponding to the slots 50 and 52) arranged in the same manner as the slots in the channel 22. At these corners, the base 26 is sufficiently flexible to be bent around the angle at the corner.

It will be apparent that the slots have to be configured at each corner in order to suit the angle there. Thus, at the corners W and Y, the slots are arranged to produce substantially right-angled corners.

At the corner X, the slots produce an obtuse-angled corner, while at the corner Z the slots produce an acute-angled corner.

In order to provide effective sealing action, it is necessary for the base 26 of the central channel 20 of the portions 1 2A and 12C to press quite firmly against the sliding distal edges of the window glass. It is found that this tends to promote rapid wear of the material defining the surface on the base within the channel 20. In accordance with a feature of the invention, therefore, the surface of the base 26 within the central channel 20 of at least the portions 1 2A and 12C of the seal arrangement is reinforced with a length 54 (see Figure 2) of low-friction plastics-material foil.

This foil 54 may be in the form of relatively stiff strips which are slid into the channel 20, at the appropriate positions, before the seal arrangement is placed in position on the vehicle body, and the lengths of foil may be adhesively secured to the base 26.

The seal around the window opening 6 may be completed by a separate portion, corresponding generally in configuration to the portion 12D, which is mounted on a support flange on the door which runs parallel to the support flange which supports the portion 12D of the seal arrangement, a gap thereby being produced for the passage of the window pane.

Instead of the tubular sections 32 and 34, lips may be used.

Claims

1. A sealing, guiding and finishing arrangement for use around a window opening defined by a frame having at least one corner and having a slidable glass pane, comprising an integral length of material defining at least two longitudinally extending portions arranged end to end, the first such portion having a configuration defining two outer channels facing in one direction and separated by an inner channel facing in the opposite direction, the outer channels being arranged to embracingly grip respective parallel support members of the said frame so as to support the inner channel for receiving the slidable glass pane, the second such portion having a configuration defining only a single one of the outer channels which is arrange to embracingly grip a respective support member of the said frame so as to support the said single one of the outer channels along a part of the frame through which the glass pane slides.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which the inside surface of the inner channel comprises the surface of a base and the surfaces of two side walls, and in which the outer channels of the said first portion are defined in part by the outer surfaces of those side walls.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, in which the cross-section of the single one of the outer channels defined by the said second portion is identical with and a continuation of the cross-section of a respective one of the two outer channels of the said first portion.

4. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, in which the inside facing side walls of each outer channel carrying gripping lips for gripping the said support members.

5. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, in which the inside facing side walls of the inner channel carrying hollow integral tubular sections which are relatively soft compared with the material defining the remainder of the inner channel.

6. An arrangement according to any preceding claim for fitting on to the frame so that the said corner therein coincides with the junction between the two said portions, in which adjacent the said junction the material of the said portions is provided with a plurality of cut-outs spaced apart on either side of the junction and configured to enable the material at the said junction to be bent to match the said corner.

7. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, including a separate length of relatively stiff low-friction material placed on the inside surface of the base of the inner channel.

8. A sealing, guiding or finishing arrangement, comprising material defining a longitudinally extending channel configuration having at least two adjacent cut-outs extending through the base of the channel and through part of the side walls thereof so as to permit the two lengths of the material which meet between the two cut-outs to be mutually bent so as to close-up the cut-outs and to define between them a corner of predetermined angle.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, in which each of the cut-outs is V-shaped in cross-section.

10. A window guide channel, extruded from plastics or rubber material, and having a separate length of relatively stiff low-friction material placed on the inside surface of the base of the channel.

11. An arrangement according to claim 10, in which the length of relatively stiff material is a length of plastics material.

12. A sealing, guiding and finishing arrangement for use around a window opening, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.