GB2579188A

GB2579188A - Waistline seal for an automotive vehicle door

Info

Publication number: GB2579188A
Application number: GB1819023.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peabody Declan; Bajjou Fatallah
Original assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Current assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-22
Filing date: 2018-11-22
Publication date: 2020-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-22
Also published as: GB201819023D0; GB2579188B; DE102019130529A1

Abstract

A waist line or belt line seal (30, Fig.1) for an automotive vehicle door (3), the waistline seal comprising a mounting portion (32, Fig.3b) for mounting the seal to the door and a sealing portion 34 for sealing with the door. The mounting portion comprises a fastener receiving formation 35 configured to receive a fastener (50, Fig.5a) to secure the seal relative to the door. The fastener receiving formation defines a fastening channel 37 extending in a direction generally orthogonal to a vehicular x-axis and transverse to a vehicular y-axis, the fastening channel receiving a shank portion (51) of the fastener extending in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis. The mounting portion may comprise a main body 32a, and a fastening portion 32b flexibly connected to the main body by a connection portion 32c and tabs 32d. The connection portion may comprise the same material as the sealing portion, where the beltline seal may be manufactured in a 2K or two-shot moulding. The mounting channel allows adjustable fitment of the waistline seal in a substantially vertical direction (vehicular z-axis) parallel to the mounting channel. Also claimed is a vehicle and vehicle door comprising the waistline seal.

Description

WAISTLINE SEAL FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE DOOR

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a waistline seal for an automotive vehicle door, and particularly, but not exclusively, to a waistline seal comprising a sealing portion, a mounting portion, and a fastener receiving formation that is configured to receive a fastener in order to secure the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door. Aspects of the invention relate to a waistline seal, to an automotive vehicle door, and to an automotive vehicle.

BACKGROUND

A typical automotive vehicle door comprises a door panel assembly and a window panel that is generally located above the door panel assembly. The window panel may optionally be configured to be at least partially retractable into the door panel assembly, and may optionally be at least partially surrounded by a window surrounding portion that extends upwardly from the upper edge of the door panel assembly. The vehicle door will typically be provided with a waistline seal that is configured to provide a seal between the window and the upper edge of the outer panel of the door panel assembly in order to prevent the ingress of moisture and other contaminants into the interior of the door panel assembly.

The waistline seal may be mounted to the vehicle door by being press fitted onto an up-turned lip of the outer panel, or alternatively by being press fitted into a mounting channel provided at the upper edge of the door panel assembly. In such arrangements the waistline seal may be held in place by a friction fit with the up-turned lip or mounting channel.

One disadvantage with such known waistline seal assemblies is that it is difficult to ensure that the waistline seal is installed in and remains in the correct location with respect to the vehicle door. In particular, the waistline seal may not sit exactly against the outer panel of the door but may instead sit slightly above its intended location, thereby creating a slight gap through which moisture and other contaminants may enter the door panel assembly, if it has not been press fitted correctly or if it has become lose and moved upwardly over time.

To overcome this problem, the waistline seal may additionally be held in place by a retaining screw, which may be inserted through a hole in the door panel assembly and screwed either directly into the body of the waistline seal or into a bore provided in the waistline seal. However, the conventional use of a retaining screw makes it difficult to compensate for tolerance variations in components during assembly if a precise positioning of the waistline seal is required. In addition, in some cases the waistline seal may also be moved out of its intended location by forces exerted on the waistline seal by the retaining screw as it is being screwed into the waistline seal, even if the waistline seal was originally press fitted into the correct location.

There is a trend in the automotive industry towards evermore flush finishes between windows and adjacent body panels. Accordingly, a waistline seal that lies flush with the outer surface of the door panel assembly is desirable. However, a precise and reliable location and retention of the waistline seal is required in order to achieve such a flush fit arrangement between the waistline seal and the door body panel, which is currently difficult to achieve due, at least in part, to the above identified problems.

It is an aim of the present invention to address disadvantages associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a waistline seal for an automotive vehicle door, the waistline seal comprising a mounting portion for mounting the waistline seal to the vehicle door and a sealing portion for forming a seal with the vehicle door. The mounting portion may comprise a fastener receiving formation that is configured to receive a fastener in order to secure the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door. The fastener receiving formation may define a fastening channel that is configured to extend in a direction generally orthogonal to a vehicular x-axis and transverse to a vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, the fastening channel being configured to receive a shank portion of the fastener, said shank portion extending in a direction generally orthogonal to the vehicular x-axis and transverse to the direction in which the fastening channel extends when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.

It will be appreciated that the vehicle to which the waistline seal is intended to be fitted will have a longitudinal x-axis running in a front-to-back direction relative to the vehicle, a transverse y-axis running in a side-to-side direction relative to the vehicle, and a vertical z-axis running in a top-to-bottom direction relative to the vehicle. It will therefore be appreciated that the fastening channel provides an x-axis datum for accurately locating and securing the waistline seal using the fastener at a fixed position along the x-axis of the vehicle, whilst permitting variable z-axis positioning and securing of the waistline seal relative to the fastener.

The fastening channel may be configured to extend in a direction close to, and in some embodiments generally parallel to, the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use. The shank portion of the fastener may extend in a direction close to, and in some embodiments generally parallel to, the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.

The fastening channel may be a generally U-shaped channel, and may comprise a closed base that extends in, for example, the direction generally orthogonal to the vehicular x-axis and transverse to the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use. Alternatively, the fastening channel may extend through the thickness of the mounting portion (in a transverse direction aligned with the vehicular y-axis), in which case the fastening channel may not include a base. In addition, the fastening channel may be open at its upper and lower ends, or may alternatively be closed at its upper and lower ends. However, in any case, the fastening channel is wider in the direction aligned with the vehicular z-axis than in the direction aligned with the vehicular x-axis such that the fastening channel forms a slot that is configured to engage opposing sides of the fastener shank without also engaging the top and bottom of the fastener shank.

When the fastener is fitted to the waistline seal, for example by being screwed into the fastening channel, the fastener will exert forces on the waistline seal which can result in the waistline seal being moved away from its intended location with respect to the vehicle door. However, by providing a vertically extending fastening channel, the tendency of the fastener to move the waistline seal in a vertical direction as it is fitted to the waistline seal may be minimised or eliminated. In this way, the fastener receiving formation of the present invention allows the waistline seal to be secured to a vehicle door using a fastener without the waistline seal being moved in a vertical direction away from its intended location with respect to the vehicle door. It is therefore possible to secure the waistline seal to the vehicle door more accurately, and to ensure that the sealing portion is correctly positioned against an outer panel of the vehicle door, optionally in an at least substantially flush manner.

The fastener receiving formation may be configured to engage opposing sides of the fastener shank to locate and secure the fastener relative to the waistline seal in a direction generally parallel to a vehicular x-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, whilst permitting positioning of the shank portion at a plurality of positions along the fastening channel The fastener receiving formation may be integrally formed with the mounting portion of the waistline seal. The fastener receiving formation may extend outwardly from the mounting portion of the waistline seal in the direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, optionally in a direction towards the vehicle interior.

The fastener receiving formation may comprise first and second engagement elements that form sides of the fastening channel and are configured to engage the opposing sides of the fastener shank as the fastener is being fitted to the fastener receiving formation.

The engagement elements may take the form of walls extending generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.

At least one of the engagement elements may be provided with reinforcement on an outer side (that is on the side of the engagement element that faces away from the fastening channel). Reinforcement may, for example, be provided, by one or more reinforcing walls that extend outwardly from the outer side of the engagement element in a direction away from the fastening channel.

The mounting portion of the waistline seal may comprise a main body portion and a fastening portion that is connected to the main body portion. The fastener receiving formation may be provided on the fastening portion.

The fastening portion may be connected to the main body portion by one or more frangible elements that are configured to break if a force is exerted on the fastening portion, in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, that exceeds a threshold force. The frangible elements may help to isolate forces exerted on the waistline seal by the fastener and thereby prevent the fastener from moving the waistline seal away from its intended location with respect to the vehicle door.

Alternatively, or in addition, the fastening portion may be connected to the main body portion by a connection portion that is configured to deform without breaking in order to allow the fastening portion to move with respect to the main body portion in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis and/or in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use. The connection portion may be configured to allow the fastening portion to pivot with respect to the main body portion about an axis extending in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis and/or about an axis extending in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use. In this way the connection portion may also help to isolate forces exerted on the waistline seal by the fastener and thereby prevent the fastener from moving the waistline seal away from its intended location with respect to the vehicle door.

The connection portion may comprise a resiliently deformable portion formed of a material that has a lower elastic modulus than the material of the main body portion and/or the fastening portion. The resiliently deformable portion may optionally be formed of the same material as the sealing portion of the waistline seal, and may be integrally formed together with the sealing portion.

The mounting portion may be provided with a gripper element for assisting with location of the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use. The gripper element may allow the waistline seal to be readily press fitted to the vehicle door while providing more secure and accurate location of the waistline seal in the z-axis direction than can be achieved by the mounting portion alone.

The gripper element may be formed as a separate component to the mounting portion and attached to the mounting portion. The gripper element may define a gripper channel within which the mounting portion of the waistline seal is received. The gripper element may be attached to the mounting portion by one or more sets of interlocking features and/or by an adhesive.

The gripper element may be formed of a different material to the mounting portion, optionally a material that is softer and/or more resilient than the material of the mounting portion. For example, the gripper element may be formed of rubber, while the mounting portion may be formed of a hard plastics material. The gripper element may optionally be formed of the same material as the sealing portion of the waistline seal.

The gripper element may extend along at least substantially the entire length of the mounting portion.

The gripper element may comprise at least one retention element that is configured to engage the vehicle door in order to assist with location of the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door.

The at least one retention element may have an elongate shape extending along a longitudinal direction of the mounting portion, and may be configured to be resiliently deformed upwardly and in a direction towards the mounting portion as the waistline seal is being fitted to the vehicle door.

The gripper element may be configured to be received within a mounting channel defined by the vehicle door. The at least one retention element may protrude at an angle away from the mounting portion such that, when received within the mounting channel, the at least one retention element is angled towards an open end of the mounting channel.

The at least one retention element may be provided on a first side of the gripper element, and may be configured to engage with a first side wall of the mounting channel and to urge a second side of the gripper element opposing the first side against a second side wall of the mounting channel.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an automotive vehicle door comprising a waistline seal including any of the above-described features fitted to the vehicle door. A fastener may extend between and engage the vehicle door and the fastener receiving formation of the waistline seal in order to assist with secure location of the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door. The fastener may, for example, be a screw having a threaded shank that is configured to engage the fastener receiving formation. The fastener may be configured to deform the fastener receiving formation as it is being fitted to the waistline seal, for example by biting into the walls of the fastening channel.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an automotive vehicle comprising a waistline seal including any of the above-described features and/or a vehicle door fitted with a waistline seal including any of the above-described features. The automotive vehicle may be a road vehicle, for example a car.

However, it will be appreciated that the waistline seal of the present invention may be manufactured and supplied separately to the vehicle or door to which it is intended to be fitted.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a vehicle comprising a waistline seal; Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example of the upper portion of a door panel assembly of a door of the vehicle illustrated in Figure 1; Figures 3a and 3b schematically illustrate cross-section views through an example of a waistline seal according to one possible embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 schematically illustrates an example of a fastening portion portion and fastener receiving formation of the waistline seal of Figures 3a and 3b; and Figures 5a and 5b schematically illustrate an example of the interaction between the fastener receiving formation of Figure 4 and a screw which may be screwed into the waistline seal in order to constrain upward movement of the waistline seal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 illustrates a vehicle 1 in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Figure 1, the vehicle 1 has a longitudinal x-axis, a transverse y-axis, and a vertical z-axis. The x-axis extends in a first generally horizontal direction, the y-axis extends in a second generally horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, and the z-axis extends in a generally vertical direction when the vehicle 1 is in its normal orientation for use. It will be appreciated that all references to a longitudinal or X direction, to a transverse or Y direction and to a vertical or Z direction throughout this specification refer to directions that are at least substantially aligned with the x-, y-and z-axes of the vehicle 1 as illustrated in Figure 1. Furthermore, any references to horizontal and vertical in relation to the vehicle 1 are to be interpreted as relating to the vehicle when on a substantially flat and horizontal surface.

The vehicle 1 comprises four side doors 2. As illustrated in Figure 1, each door 2 comprises a door panel assembly 3, a window panel 4 that is generally located above the door panel assembly 3 and is configured to be at least partially retracted into the door panel assembly 3, and a window surrounding portion 5 that extends upwardly from the upper edge of the door panel assembly 3 and at least partially surrounds the widow panel 4.

In addition, each door 2 is further provided with a waistline seal 30 in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention, as schematically illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b and described in more detail below. The waistline seal 30 is configured to form a seal between the window panel 4 and the upper edge of the door panel assembly 3. The following description generally relates to a single waistline seal 30 for a single one of the doors 2, but it will be appreciated that the remaining doors 2 may each be provided with a similar waistline seal 30.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates the upper portion of a door panel assembly in cross-section. As shown in Figure 2, the door panel assembly 3 comprises an outer panel 10 that forms the exterior facing surface 2a of the door panel assembly 3, and a reinforcement panel 20 that is coupled to the outer panel 10 and provides reinforcement to the door panel assembly 3. (It will be appreciated that the door panel assembly 3 also comprises various other components including, for example, an interior facing surface panel, one or more further internal reinforcement panels, and a mounting/retraction mechanism for the window panel, although these additional components have been omitted from Figure 1 for clarity.) The outer panel 10 comprises a main body 11 that extends in a generally vertical plane to form the exterior facing surface 2a of the door panel assembly. Adjacent to the upper edge 13 of the door panel assembly 3, the main body 11 of the outer panel 10 is bent inwardly (in a direction towards the interior of the vehicle 1) to form a substantially planar shoulder portion 12. Above the shoulder portion 12, the outer panel 10 is bent over to form a down turned lip 14, which defines the upper edge 13 of the door panel assembly 3. The down turned lip 14 comprises a bent over portion 15 with a continuously curved shape via which the down turned lip 14 is connected to the shoulder portion 12 and which forms the upper-most part of the door panel assembly (excluding the window surrounding portion 5); and a downwardly extending wall 16 which projects downwardly from the inboard edge of the bent over portion 15.

The reinforcement panel 20 is connected to the outer panel 10 along the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14 at a connection portion 21. (The reinforcement panel 20 may additionally be connected to the main body 11 of the outer panel 10 at one or more locations below the down turned lip 14, although this is not illustrated in Figure 2, which only illustrates an upper portion of the door panel assembly 3). Above the connection portion 21, the reinforcement panel 20 is bent away from the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14 in a direction towards the interior of the vehicle 1 such that a channel 23 is formed between the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14 and an upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel 20. The channel 23 runs along at least substantially the entire length of the door panel assembly 3, and is configured to receive and retain the waistline seal 30, as described in more detail below.

As illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b, the waistline seal 30 comprises a sealing portion 31, a first mounting portion 32, a second mounting portion 33, and a glass seal 34, each of which extend at least substantially along the entire length of the door panel assembly 3. The waistline seal 30 has a substantially constant cross-section along its length direction (that is the direction aligned with the X direction of the vehicle 1).

The sealing portion 31 takes the form of an elongate strip formed of an elastomeric material such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) which extends along the upper edge 13 of the door panel assembly 3. The sealing portion 31 has a substantially constant cross-section along its length, and a generally planar shape that tapers towards an outboard side edge 31a (that is the side edge facing away from the interior of the vehicle 1). The sealing portion 31 is configured to engage and form a seal with the outer panel 2 along the length of the bent over portion 15 of the down turned lip 14 in order to prevent the ingress of moisture and other contaminants into the interior of the door panel assembly 3. In use, the outboard side edge 31a of the sealing portion 31 sits in top of the bent over portion 15 of the down turned lip 14 such that the sealing portion 31 does not extend onto the shoulder portion 12 of the main body 11 of the outer panel 10 outboard of the down turned lip 14. As illustrated in Figure 3b, the sealing portion 31 lies at least substantially flush with the shoulder portion 12 of the outer panel 10.

The first and second mounting portions 32, 33 take the form of walls that extend from the underside of the sealing portion 31. The first and second mounting portions 32, 33 are formed of a comparatively hard plastics material, and may each be integrally moulded together with the sealing portion 31 using a 2K injection moulding process. The first mounting portion 32 extends into the mounting channel 23 formed between the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14 and the upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel 20, and the second mounting portion 33 extends generally parallel to the first mounting portion 32 on the opposite side of the upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel 20 (outside the mounting channel 23). The first and second mounting portions 32, 33 each extend along substantially the entire length of the sealing portion 31.

The first mounting portion 32 is provided with a gripper 40 for inhibiting upward movement of the waistline seal 30 with respect to the door panel assembly 3. The gripper 40 is formed of an elastomeric material such as EPDM, optionally the same material as the sealing portion 31. In the illustrated embodiment the gripper 40 is manufactured as a separate component which is mounted to the first mounting portion 32.

The gripper 40 of the illustrated embodiment comprises a U shaped body portion 41 which defines a gripper channel within which the first mounting portion 32 is received.

The body portion 41 extends along substantially the entire length of the first mounting portion 32 and is retained with respect to the first mounting portion 32 by an adhesive and by a set of tabs which are received in corresponding recesses provided in the first mounting portion. The gripper 40 further comprises a set of three elongate walls 42, 43, 44 that extend outwardly and upwardly away from the body portion 41 of the gripper 40 along substantially the entire length of the gripper 40. The walls 42, 43, 44 engage a first sidewall 23a of the mounting channel 23 (that is the sidewall formed by the upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel 20) and thereby act as retention elements for resisting upward movement of the waistline seal 30 with respect to the door panel assembly 3 in order to ensure secure location of the waistline seal 30 in the Z direction. The rear face of the body portion 41 of the gripper 40 also engages an opposing second sidewall 23b of the mounting channel 23 (that is the sidewall formed by the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14) in order to further assist with secure location of the waistline seal 30.

The first mounting portion 32 comprises a main body 32a and a fastening portion 32b that is connected to the main body 32a towards a longitudinal end of the waistline seal 30 by a connection portion 32c and a pair of tabs 32d, as illustrated in Figure 4. The fastening portion 32b is provided with a fastener receiving formation 35 that is configured to receive a shank of a fastener, for example a threaded shank of a screw 50 (not shown in Figure 4, but illustrated in Figures 5a and 5b) which may be screwed into the waistline seal 30 in order to prevent upward movement of the waistline seal 30 in the Z direction after it has been mounted to the door panel assembly 3.

The fastener receiving formation 35 is formed by a pair of engagement elements 36 in the form of vertically extending walls that are each integrally formed with the fastening portion 32b of the first mounting portion 32 and extend outwardly from the fastening portion 32b in a direction towards the interior of the vehicle 1. The engagement elements 36 are formed separately to each other and spaced apart from each other such that a vertically extending slot or fastening channel 37 is defined between the engagement elements 36. As illustrated in Figure 4 the fastening channel 37 has a closed base, although in other embodiments the fastening channel 37 may equally extend through the thickness of the fastening portion 32b. Each of the engagement elements 36 is provided with reinforcement 38 on its outer side (that is the side facing away from the channel 37) in the form of walls that extend outwardly from the outer sides of the engagement elements 36.

The connection portion 32c is configured to allow the fastening portion 32b to move with respect to the main body 32a of the first mounting portion 32 without breaking. In particular, the connection portion includes a resiliently deformable strip 39 formed of, for example, EDPM which is integrally formed together with the sealing portion 31 of the waistline seal 30 and configured to allow the fastening portion 32b to pivot with respect to the main body 32a of the first mounting portion 32, for example in a vertical direction (about an axis parallel to the vehicular Y direction) and/or in a transverse direction (about an axis parallel to the vehicular Z direction) as for the illustrated embodiment. In addition, the tabs 32d comprise frangible elements that are configured to break if the fastening portion 32b is subjected to a force above a threshold force in the vehicular Y direction.

In this way the connection portion 32c and the tabs 32d are able to hold the fastening portion 32b steady while the screw 50 is being screwed into the fastener receiving formation 35. However, the fastening portion 32b is able to move with respect to the main body 32a of the first mounting portion 32 in order to isolate excessive forced exerted by the screw 50 on the waistline seal 30, for example when an excessive torque is applied to the screw 50, and ensure that the waistline seal is only stressed locally as the screw 50 is being fitted to the waistline seal 30. The provision of the fastener receiving formation 35 on the fastening portion 32b therefore helps to ensure that the screw 50 does not move the waistline seal 30 out of its intended location with respect to the outer panel 10 (with the sealing portion 31 of the waistline seal 30 flush with the shoulder portion 12 of the outer panel 10) as the screw 50 is being fitted to the waistline seal 30.

The glass seal 34 is mounted to the second mounting portion 33 and extends upwardly and outwardly from the second mounting portion 33 in a direction towards the interior of the vehicle 1. The window panel 4 is not illustrated in Figure 3b. However, it will be appreciated that the glass seal 34 engages the exterior facing surface of the window panel 4 and is deformed upwardly and towards the main body of the waistline seal 30 by the window panel 4 when installed. The glass seal 34 is formed of an elastomeric material such as EPDM, optionally the same material as the sealing portion 31 and/or the gripper 40, and may be integrally moulded together with the second mounting portion 32 using a 2K injection moulding process, or alternatively manufactured separately before being attached to the second mounting portion 32.

The rear surface of the second mounting portion 33 (that is the surface that faces away from the glass seal 34 and towards the first mounting portion 32) may optionally engage the upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel 20 such that the upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel is clamped between the gripper 40 and the second mounting portion 33. However, in other embodiments the second mounting portion 33 may not engage the upstanding wall 22 of the reinforcement panel 20 and may instead serve simply to provide a mounting location for the glass seal 34.

The waistline seal 30 may also include a retaining feature (not illustrated) in the form of an aperture and/or a recess at one or both of its longitudinal ends, which may be configured for attachment to the ends of a margin seal (not illustrated) which may extend around the window surrounding portion 5 of the door.

The process by which the waistline seal 30 is mounted to the door panel assembly will now be described.

When it is desired to fit the waistline seal 30 to the door panel assembly 3, the waistline seal 30 is first positioned above the mounting channel 23 formed between the down turned lip 14 and the reinforcement panel 20. An X direction datum feature in the form of a tab (not illustrated) provided on the first mounting portion 32 of the waistline seal 30 is then lined up above a corresponding X direction datum feature in the form of an aperture or slot provided on the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14 in order to ensure correct positioning of the waistline seal 30 with respect to the door panel assembly in the X direction. The waistline seal 30 is then arranged with the first mounting portion 32 above the mounting channel 23 and the second mounting portion 33 to the outside of the mounting channel 23 (on the vehicle interior side), with the second mounting portion 33 acting as a Y direction datum feature for ensuring correct positioning of the waistline seal 30 with respect to the door panel assembly in the Y direction. The waistline seal 30 is then pushed downwardly into the door panel assembly 3 such that the first mounting portion 32 is received within the mounting channel 23, as illustrated in Figure 3b.

As the first mounting portion 32 is received in the mounting channel 23, the retention elements 41, 42, 43 of the gripper 40 are each resiliently deflected upwardly and towards the first mounting portion 32 in order to fit within the mounting channel 23. The waistline seal 30 continues to be pushed downwardly until the underside of the sealing portion 31 engages the bent over portion 15 of the down turned lip 14. At this point the bent over portion 15 of the down turned lip 14 prevents further movement of the waistline seal 30 and acts as a Z direction datum point for ensuring correct positioning of the waistline seal 30 with respect to the door panel assembly in the Z direction.

The second mounting portion 33, which is intended to be located outside the mounting channel 23, is sufficiently long that the underside of the second mounting portion 33 will impact the base of the mounting channel 23 before the underside of the sealing portion 31 engages the bent over portion 15 of the down turned lip 14 if it is attempted to install the waistline seal 30 with the second mounting portion 33 located above the mounting channel 23. In this way the second mounting portion 33 is able to prevent the waistline seal 30 from being fully installed if it is placed in an incorrect position relative to the door panel assembly 3 in the Y direction.

Once the waistline seal 30 has been correctly positioned with respect to the door panel assembly 3 in the manner described above, engagement between the waistline seal X direction datum tab and the aperture or slot provided on the downwardly extending wall 16 of the down turned lip 14 prevent the waistline seal 30 from moving relative to the door panel assembly 3 in the X direction. In addition, engagement between the gripper 40 and the sidewalls 23a, 23b of the mounting channel 23 prevent the waistline seal 30 from moving relative to the door panel assembly 3 in the Y direction. In addition, friction between the retention elements 41, 42, 43 of the gripper 40 and the first sidewall 23a of the mounting channel 23 prevent the waistline seal 30 from moving relative to the door panel assembly 3 in the Z direction. In this way the waistline seal 30 is securely retained in its intended position with the sealing portion 31 flush with the shoulder portion 12 of the outer panel 10. However, it is still possible for the waistline seal 30 to be removed from the door panel assembly 3 by pulling the waistline seal 30 upwardly with sufficient force, for example to allow the waistline seal 30 to be removed and replaced.

Once the waistline seal 30 has been installed in the correct location with respect to the door panel assembly 3 (with the sealing portion 31 of the waistline seal 30 flush with the shoulder portion 12 of the outer panel 10), a screw 50 may be inserted through an aperture 24 provided in the reinforcement panel 20 (or alternatively in another internal or external panel forming part of the door panel assembly 3) and screwed into the fastening channel 37 of the fastener receiving formation 35 of the waistline seal 30, as illustrated in Figures 5a and 5b. The screw 50 may optionally extend into or through the fastening portion 32b on which the fastener receiving formation 35 is provided once fully installed with respect to the waistline seal 30. The screw 50 then acts to further constrain movement of the waistline seal 30 with respect to the door panel assembly 3, and in particular to prevent upward movement in the Z direction.

As the screw 50 is screwed into the fastener receiving formation 35, the sides 51a, 51b of the threaded shank 51 engage and bite into the engagement elements 36 of the of the fastener receiving formation 35, illustrated in Figure 5b. However, the top and bottom portions of the threaded shank 51 do not engage the fastener receiving formation 35, which is able to receive the fastener shank 51 at a plurality of different positions along the height of the fastening channel 37. In this way the configuration of the fastener receiving formation 35 minimises the forces which can be exerted by the screw 50 on the waistline seal 30 as the screw 50 is being fitted to the waistline seal 30, and therefore the tendency of the screw 50 to move the waistline seal 30 in the Z direction. It is therefore possible to fit the screw 50 to the waistline seal 30 without moving the sealing portion 31 away from the upper edge 13 of the door panel assembly 3 even if there is some misalignment between the screw 50 and the fastener receiving formation 35 in the Z direction.

The screw 50 may subsequently be unscrewed and removed from its engagement with the waistline seal 30 in order to permit removal of the waistline seal 30 from the door panel assembly 3, for example to permit removal and replacement of the waistline seal 30.

It will be appreciated that the above-described embodiment is provided as an example only, and that many modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying claims. For example, in other embodiments the fastener receiving formation may be provided directly on the main body of the first mounting portion instead of being provided on a separate tab. In addition, in other embodiments the engagement elements may be connected to each other at their upper and lower ends such that the fastening channel is closed at its upper and lower ends instead of being formed separately to each other. Other modifications and variations will also be apparent to the skilled person.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A waistline seal for an automotive vehicle door, the waistline seal comprising a mounting portion for mounting the waistline seal to the vehicle door and a sealing portion for forming a seal with the vehicle door; wherein the mounting portion comprises a fastener receiving formation that is configured to receive a fastener in order to secure the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door; wherein the fastener receiving formation defines a fastening channel that is configured to extend in a direction generally orthogonal to a vehicular x-axis and transverse to a vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, the fastening channel being configured to receive a shank portion of the fastener, said shank portion extending in a direction generally orthogonal to the vehicular x-axis and transverse to the direction in which the fastening channel extends when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.
2. A waistline seal according to claim 1, wherein the fastener receiving formation is configured to engage opposing sides of the fastener shank to locate and secure the fastener relative to the waistline seal in a direction generally parallel to a vehicular x-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, whilst permitting positioning of the shank portion at a plurality of positions along the fastening channel.
3. A waistline seal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the fastener receiving formation is integrally formed with the mounting portion of the waistline seal.
4. A waistline seal according to any preceding claim, wherein the fastener receiving formation comprises first and second engagement elements that form sides of the fastening channel and are configured to engage the opposing sides of the fastener shank as the fastener is being fitted to the fastener receiving formation.
5. A waistline seal according to claim 4, wherein the engagement elements take the form of walls extending generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.
6. A waistline seal according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein at least one of the engagement elements is provided with reinforcement on an outer side.
7. A waistline seal according to any preceding claim, wherein the mounting portion of the waistline seal comprises a main body portion and a fastening portion that is connected to the main body portion, wherein the fastener receiving formation is provided on the fastening portion.
8. A waistline seal according to claim 7, wherein the fastening portion is connected to the main body portion by one or more frangible elements that are configured to break if a force is exerted on the fastening portion, in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use, that exceeds a threshold force.
9. A waistline seal according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the fastening portion is connected to the main body portion by a connection portion that is configured to deform without breaking in order to allow the fastening portion to move with respect to the main body portion in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis and/or in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.
10. A waistline seal according to claim 9, wherein the connection portion is configured to allow the fastening portion to pivot with respect to the main body portion about an axis extending in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis and/or about an axis extending in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular y-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.
11. A waistline seal according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the connection portion comprises a resiliently deformable portion formed of a material that has a lower elastic modulus than the material of the main body portion and/or the fastening portion.
12. A waistline seal according to claim 11, wherein the resiliently deformable portion is formed of the same material as the sealing portion of the waistline seal and integrally formed together with the sealing portion.
13. A waistline seal according to any preceding claim, wherein the mounting portion is provided with a gripper element for assisting with location of the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door in a direction generally parallel to the vehicular z-axis when the waistline seal is in its normal orientation for use.
14. A waistline seal according to claim 13, wherein the gripper element is formed as a separate component to the mounting portion and attached to the mounting portion.
15. A waistline seal according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the gripper element defines a gripper channel within which the mounting portion of the waistline seal is received.
16. A waistline seal according to any of claims 13 to 15, wherein the gripper element is formed of a different material to the mounting portion.
17. A waistline seal according to claim 16, wherein the gripper element is formed of a material that is softer and/or more resilient than the material of the mounting portion.
18. A waistline seal according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the gripper element extends along at least substantially the entire length of the mounting portion.
19. A waistline seal according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the gripper element comprises at least one retention element that is configured to engage the vehicle door in order to assist with location of the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door, the at least one retention element having an elongate shape extending along a longitudinal direction of the mounting portion and being configured to be resiliently deformed upwardly and in a direction towards the mounting portion as the waistline seal is being fitted to the vehicle door.
20. A waistline seal according to claim 19, wherein the gripper element is configured to be received within a mounting channel defined by the vehicle door and the at least one retention element protrudes at an angle away from the mounting portion such that, when received within the mounting channel, the at least one retention element is angled towards an open end of the mounting channel.
21. A waistline seal according to claim 20, wherein the at least one retention element is provided on a first side of the gripper element and is configured to engage with a first side wall of the mounting channel and to urge a second side of the gripper element opposing the first side against a second side wall of the mounting channel.
22. A waistline seal according to any one of claims 19 to claim 21, wherein the gripper element comprises a plurality of the retention elements.
23. An automotive vehicle door comprising a waistline seal according to any preceding claim fitted to the vehicle door, wherein a fastener extends between and engages the vehicle door and the fastener receiving formation of the waistline seal in order to assist with secure location of the waistline seal with respect to the vehicle door.
24. A vehicle door according to claim 23, wherein the fastener is a screw having a threaded shank that is configured to engage the fastener receiving formation.
25. An automotive vehicle comprising a waistline seal according to any of claims 1 to 22 and/or a vehicle door according to claim 23 or claim 24.