GB2186312A

GB2186312A - Seal for vehicle sun roof

Info

Publication number: GB2186312A
Application number: GB08702600A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harald Strunk
Original assignee: SCHADE WILHELM KG
Current assignee: SCHADE WILHELM KG
Priority date: 1986-02-12
Filing date: 1987-02-05
Publication date: 1987-08-12
Also published as: ES2004679A6; DE3604298C1; GB2186312B; GB8702600D0

Abstract

The seal (3), comprises a tube portion (5) and a holding portion (4), joined together by an articulation (7) and with a supporting ridge (9) formed on the tube portion (5) guided in a recess (23) of the holding frame (15). The arrangement is stated to compensate for manufacturing tolerances in the seal and frame. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A sealing arrangement for a lifting sliding roof panel The present invention relates to a sealing arrangement for a lifting sliding roof panel or the like slidable element for a motor vehicle. More particularly although not exclusively, it relates to a glass roof having a flexible sealing tube which is secured to a holding frame surrounding the roof panel edge and which in crosssection has a holding portion and a tube portion connected integrally thereto and acting as an abutment sealing element.

In a known sealing arrangement of this kind for outwardly movable roof panels, the onepiece holding frame secured to the glass roof edge has an edge which is of barbed shape in cross-section and which is angled out towards the topside of the glass roof and projects from the underside of the glass over the glass roof. On to this barbed edge there is fitted the sealing tube which is provided with an undercut groove, a clamping effect between the groove and the barbed edge arresting the sealing tube releasably. The sealing tube itself is additionally rigidly clamped in the spacing gap formed between the edge of the holding frame and the peripheral edge of the glass roof.The tube portion which acts as an abutment sealing element for the roof aperture and which is in one piece with the holding portion fills up the sealing gap between the peripheral edge of the vehicle roof aperture and the barbed edge of the holding frame.

This known sealing arrangement has the disadvantage that both the sealing tube and also especially the rigid holding frame have to be manufactured with very close tolerances in order to exert a uniform pressure on the edge of the vehicle roof aperture in the sealing gap all round through the tube portion. Since manufacture of the holding frame, which usually consists of a metal pressing or stamping, is in actual practice possible only by allowing considerable tolerance ranges, after the sealing tube has been fitted any tolerance deviations in the sealing gap can be compensated for only by the precision with which the sealing tube is manufactured, but it also can only be produced with relatively poor precision.Dimensional discrepancies of the order of magnitude of 0.1 mm in the sealing gap already result in force situations which make it impossible to swing the glass roof into its predetermined closed position without forcible action, and in such cases it is not possible to achieve proper sealing of the glass roof.

To obviate these difficulties, in practice remedies have been tried consisting of either choosing only sealing tubes with particularly close tolerances, involving a correspondingly high reject rate, or of producing a single sealing tube with different cross-sections over its length i.e. the forward region of the glass roof in the direction of travel has a so-called lip seal cross-section and the rear portion a tubeshaped cross-section. Such sealing tubes are again very expensive and require high standards of precision from the work force in gluing or welding the joints of the various crosssections to be joined together, especially in the transition regions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an effective sealing arrangement which is advantageous from the cost point of view and which allows the use of a one-piece allround sealing tube whereby any tolerance deviations within the sealing tube and/or the holding frame can be compensated for.

This is achieved according to the invention in that the tube portion and the holding portion are connected to one another in hinge-like manner, and the tube portion has a supporting ridge guided in a recess of the holding frame.

The hinged connection between the tube portion and the holding portion has the effect of ensuring improved relative mobility between the two cross-section regions, thus compensating for manufacture-caused dimensional deviations within the sealing gap, without thereby losing the sealing effect. The additionally provided supporting ridge guided in a recess of the holding frame ensures that the tube portion is adequately guided and supported in any desired position between the open and closed positions of the roof panel.

A particular advantage which is also achieved is that a profile cross-section which is continuous over the entire peripheral length of the roof panel can be used as the sealing tube.

The roof panel may be a glass roof panel.

Advantageously, the holding frame has a substantially double T shaped cross-section, whose two arms extend substantially parallel to the outer roof panel surface in the fitted position on the roof panel, and whose central upright extends transversely with respect to the plane of the roof panel and has an undercut groove for accommodating the holding portion, which groove extends from the upright end in the direction towards the arms. A holding frame constructed in this way can be produced in a simple and inexpensive manner and allows easy assembly on the edge of the roof panel.

Advantageously the holding from access accommodating the supporting ridge is bounded on the one hand by the inner surface of that arm of the holding frame which is remote from the edge of the roof panel and on the other hand by a shoulder surface, extending outwardly from the central upright, of a widened heel bounding the groove in the central upright.

Preferably the hinged connection between the tube portion and the holding portion comprises a hinge-like articulation which is formed by a material weakening in the region of the plane of division between the tube portion and the holding portion. Advantageously the holding portion is made of a stiffer material than the tube portion. Advantageously the holding portion has a barbed projection with which it engages into the undercut groove of the holding frame.

To ensure smooth entry of the free end of the supporting ridge into the recess in the holding frame, the recess for the supporting ridge conveniently has a widened entry mouth.

Alternatively, or additionally thereto, the crosssection of the supporting ridge may converge towards its free end.

According to a further advantageous feature, the sealing portion of the tube portion comprises at its side remote from the holding frame two run-on surfaces extending obliquely towards one another at an angle greater than 90". This ensures that the sealing tube enters and issues from the sealing gap between the roof panel and the vehicle roof aperture "softly" at all times when the roof panel is closed and opened.

The present invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows a fragmentary cross-section through a known form of sealing arrangement; Figure 2 is a view in cross-section on a larger scale of one preferred form of the sealing arrangement according to the invention in the rear sealing gap region as considered in the direction of travel, when the roof panel is closed; and Figure 3 is a view in cross-section corresponding to Fig. 2 when the roof panel is in an outwardly swung position.

In the known form of sealing arrangement for a glass roof 1' which is shown in Fig. 1, the holding frame adhesiveiy secured to the underside of the glass roof is designated as 2', the flexible sealing tube is designated in general as 3', the holding portion of the sealing tube is designated as 4', the tube portion acting as an abutment sealing element as 5', the edge of the vehicle roof aperture as 6', and the spacing gap formed between the vehicle roof aperture edge and the barbed edge of the holding frame 2' which supports the sealing tube 3' as A'. This known sealing arrangement has the previously mentioned disadvantages as compared with the constructional example according to the invention which will now be described.For the sake of clarity, in the following example like reference letters and numerals will be used in each case for the corresponding component parts, but without apostrophes.

In the preferred form of the sealing arranged according to the invention shown in Fig. 2, representing a cross-section through the glass roof in the rear sealing gap region as considered in the direction of travel of a vehicle, the sealing tube cross-section 3 consists all round of the holding portion 4 and the tube portion 5, the tube portion 5 being hingedly connected at 7 via a hinge-like articulation in the region of the plane of division between the tube portion 5 and the holding portion 4.

At its end situated towards the outside of the vehicle roof, the tube portion 5 has a supporting ridge 9 which projects in the direction towards the edge 8 of the panel 1 and whose cross-section narrows towards its free end.

The sealing portion 5 comprises two run-on surfaces 10, 11 which extend towards one another at an obtuse angle and which allow gentle entry of the tube portion 5 into, and gentle exit from, the sealing gap A and which reduce the sliding friction between the peripheral walls 12 of the vehicle roof aperture 6 and the tube portion 5. The holding portion 4 consists of a more rigid material than the tube portion 5.

The holding portion 4 of the sealing tube has a projection 13 which has a barbed shape and which engages into an undercut groove 14 of a metal holding frame 15. The holding frame 15 is separate from the portion 2 which also forms part of the holding frame. The holding frame 15 and the holding frame portion 2 are adhesively secured to the glass roof edge at 16 and 17 respectively. In cross-section, the holding frame 1 5 is of substantially double T shape. It has a central upright 18 which extends transversely with respect to the panel plane and widens approximately half way up its height towards its free end in a step-shaped heel 19. In the region of transition from the central upright 18 to the heel 19 a shoulder surface 20 is formed.At a spacing above the shoulder surface 20 the two arms 21 and 22 of the holding frame extend transversely at the two sides of the central upright 18. The arms extend substantially parallel to the outer glass roof surface, the end of the arm 22 resting on the outer surface of the glass roof and being adhesively fixed thereto, whereas the arm 21 extends into the sealing gap A at a spacing above the shoulder surface 20 of the heel 19, and in this way the inner surface of the arm 21 and the shoulder surface 20 of the heel 19, together with the central upright 18, define a recess 23. Since the shoulder surface 20 extends obliquely outwards and downwards from the central upright 18 a widened entry mouth is formed for the supporting ridge 9 entering the recess 23, which serves as a guide and support for the supporting ridge at the same time.

Fig. 3 shows the situation when the glass roof 1 is swung outwards. If the roof panel 1 is moved from this position in the direction of arrow 24 into the closing position, the run-on surface 11 of the tube portion first abuts gently on the edge 12 of the vehicle roof aperture and slides "softly" down the roof aperture wall facing towards the glass roof edge. During its sliding movement towards its closing position along the wall of the roof aperture, the tube portion 5, because of the hinge effect, is moved with its supporting ridge 9 increasingly further into the recess 23 of the holding frame 15, without cross-section modification in the tube portion 5.Such reduction of cross-section, which takes up unavoidable tolerance deviations in the sealing gap A, in fact takes place only from the time when the front end of the supporting ridge 9 contacts the central upright 18 and cannot penetrate further into the recess 23. By suitable dimensioning of the supporting ridge length and the depth of the recess 23, it is possible to compensate without difficulty for tolerance deviations in the individual co-operating parts without losing the sealing effect. A web 25 of the holding portion 4 located adjacent to the barbed projection 13 serves for additional shielding of the glass roof edge region at the underside of the latter. A wire 26 of circular cross-section of a circular wire is located in the region of the single glued or welded joint 16 in the holding frame 15 and serves to stabilise the latter.

The present invention is applicable both to lifting sliding roof panels and also to panels which only execute a swing-out movement, as is the case especially with glass roofs.

Claims

1. A sealing arrangement for a lifting sliding roof panel or like slidable element for a motor vehicle, said arrangement having a flexible sealing tube which is secured on a holding frame surrounding the roof panel edge and which in cross-section comprises a holding portion and a tube portion which is connected in one piece therewith and acts as an abutment sealing element, wherein the tube portion and the holding portion are hingedly connected to one another and the tube portion has a supporting ridge which is guided in a recess provided in the holding frame.

2. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the holding frame has a substantially double T shaped cross-section whose two arms in the fitted position on the roof panel extend substantially parallel to the outer surface thereof and whose central upright extends transversely with respect to the plane of the roof panel, and is provided with an undercut groove for accommodating the holding portion, said groove extending from the upright end in the direction towards the arms.

3. A sealing arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the recess of the holding frame which accommodates the supporting ridge is bounded on the one hand by the inner surface of that arm of the holding frame which is remote from the edge of the roof panel and on the other hand by a shoulder surface extending outwards from the central upright and forming a widened heel bounding the groove in the central upright.

4. A sealing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hinged connection between the tube portion and the holding portion comprises a hinge-like articulation which is formed by a material weakening in the region of the plane of division between the tube portion and the holding portion.

5. A sealing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holding portion is made of a more rigid material than the tube portion.

6. A sealing arrangement according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the holding portion has a barbed projection with which it engages into the undercut groove of the holding frame.

7. A sealing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the recess has a widened entry mouth for the supporting ridge.

8. A sealing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-section of the supporting ridge converges towards its free end.

9. A sealing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing portion of the tube portion has, at its side remote from the holding frame, two run-on surfaces which extend towards one another obliquely at an angle greater than 90 .

10. A sealing arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifting sliding roof panel is a glass roof panel.

11. A sealing arrangement constructed substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.