1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a window surround assembly for an automotive vehicle door. More particularly, the invention relates to a flush glass system module including an extruded hidden appliqué.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional automotive vehicle door assembly typically includes a door frame having a window opening and a glass window. The window can be selectively raised to close the window opening and lowered to open the window opening. A window surround assembly is commonly used around the window opening to seal any gaps around the raised window and to guide the window as it is raised and lowered. The seal is required to prevent the outside elements from entering the passenger compartment and contacting either the passenger or the interior of the vehicle.
The window surround assembly includes a header molding (also referred to as an upper reveal) mounted to the door frame and extending along an upper edge of the window opening; a belt molding (also referred to as a belt line) mounted to the door frame and extending along a lower edge of the window opening; and front and rear vertical moldings (also referred to as glass run channels) mounted to the door frame and extending along front and rear vertical edges of the window opening. The glass run channels engage the front and rear vertical edges of the window during movement of the window between the raised and lowered positions. Often, decorative covers or appliqués are attached to the glass run channels to improve the exterior appearance of the glass run channels. However, the decorative covers may project beyond an outer surface of the window creating aerodynamic drag, detracting from the vehicle's aesthetics, and limiting vehicle styling.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a flush glass system module for a door of a motor vehicle including an appliqué´ that is hidden behind a window in a raised position allowing the window to mount flush with surrounding features on the vehicle.
According to one aspect of the invention, a flush glass system module is provided for a motor vehicle door frame defining a window opening. The flush glass system module includes a header molding that is mounted to the door frame and extends along an upper edge of the window opening. A belt molding is mounted to the door frame and extends along a lower edge of the window opening. A hidden appliqué extends between the header molding and the belt molding. The hidden appliqué is extruded and includes a guidance channel having a pair of first sealing lips. A slider is mounted to an inner surface of a window and is received in the guidance channel for guiding the window between raised and lowered positions. The pair of first sealing lips sealingly engages with the slider as the window moves between the raised and lowered positions. The hidden appliqué is disposed entirely on the inner surface side of the window when the window is in the raised position. The hidden appliqué may also include a second sealing lip sealingly engaging with the inner surface of the window as the window moves between the raised and lowered positions.
The invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to
A retractable front window 28 is guided by the A-pillar appliqué 16 and the forward B-pillar appliqué 18 between raised and lowered positions. With the front window 28 in the raised position and the front door in a closed position, the A-pillar appliqué 16 is disposed or hidden behind the front window 28 such that the A-pillar appliqué´ 16 is not exposed along an exterior of the vehicle. In contrast, with the front window 28 in the raised position and the front door in the closed position, the forward B-pillar appliqué 18 is disposed adjacent to a rear edge of the front window 28 such that the forward B-pillar appliqué 18 is exposed along the exterior of the vehicle. A decorative cover 30 is fixedly secured to the forward B-pillar appliqué 18 for aesthetic purposes, as is well known in the art. The cover 30 is an elongated one-piece stamped member that extends along the length of the forward B-pillar appliqué 18 between the header molding 12 and the belt molding 14. The cover 30 may be formed from any of numerous materials, including, but not limited to, stainless steel, aluminum, and a molded material having a high gloss black with film. It is contemplated that the forward B-pillar appliqué´ 18 could be replaced with an appliqué´ similar to the A-pillar appliqué´ 16 such that it would be disposed behind the front window 28 when the front window 28 is in the raised position and the front door is in the closed position, without varying from the scope of the invention. In such an arrangement the cover 30 would not be required.
The flush glass system module 10 for the rear door of the motor vehicle includes the header molding 12, the belt molding 14, a rearward B-pillar appliqué´ 32, and a C-pillar appliqué 34. The rearward B-pillar appliqué´ 32 extends between the front end 20 of the header molding 12 and the front end 24 of the belt molding 14. The rearward B-pillar appliqué 32 extends downwardly into the interior of the rear door below the belt molding 14. The C-pillar appliqué 34 extends between the back end 22 of the header molding 12 and the back end 26 of the belt molding 14. The C-pillar appliqué´ 34 extends downwardly into the interior of the rear door below the belt molding 14.
A retractable rear window 36 is guided by the rearward B-pillar appliqué 32 and the C-pillar appliqué´ 34 between raised and lowered positions. With the rear window 36 in the raised position and the rear door in a closed position, the rearward B-pillar appliqué´ 32 and the C-pillar appliqué´ 34 are disposed behind the rear window 36 such that the rearward B-pillar appliqué´ 32 and the C-pillar appliqué´ 34 are not exposed along the exterior of the vehicle. The flush glass system module 10 for each of the front and rear doors is a modular assembly that can be pre-assembled away from the motor vehicle and then shipped as a single piece for installation to the respective front and rear doors.
Each of the A-pillar appliqué´ 16, the rearward B-pillar appliqué´ 32, and the C-pillar appliqué 34 are substantially similar in design and method of fabrication and only the A-pillar appliqué 16 will be described in detail. Referring to
A plurality of clips 56 is disposed along the second end 42 of the main body portion 38 to secure the A-pillar appliqué´ 16 to a flange 58 of the front door adjacent an A-pillar (not shown) of the vehicle. The A-pillar appliqué´ 16 further includes a second sealing lip 60 extending from the main body portion 38 for sealingly engaging the front window 28 when the front window 28 is in the raised position. More specifically, the second sealing lip 60 directly engages the inner surface of the front window 28. The second sealing lip 60 is co-extruded with the A-pillar appliqué 16 and may be formed from any of numerous materials, including those listed above with respect to the pair of first sealing lips 50. Similarly, a surface of the second sealing lip 60 directly engaging the front window 28 may also include the low friction slip coating or film 52 that is applied by any of numerous methods, including, but not limited to extrusion, spraying, and flocking. The front slider 48 and the A-pillar appliqué´ 16 are adapted such that the front window 28 is offset laterally from the guidance channel 46 of the A-pillar appliqué´ 16 in a cross-car direction thereby positioning an outer surface of the front window 28 generally flush or in the same plane with a forward window or forward body panel 54, shown in
Referring to
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61400496 | Jul 2010 | US |