Patent Application
20140020302
The invention relates to a sealing profile, particularly for sealing a movable vehicle window pane at the upper shank of a frame enclosure of its frame, having at least one sealing lip that projects away from a shank of the sealing profile at a distance from a neutral bent surface that intersects the sealing profile in the longitudinal direction.
When such a sealing profile, which has a sealing lip disposed at a distance from the neutral bent plane, is laid in bent manner, the danger exists that the sealing lip will assume a wave shape as a result of compression, and will no longer fulfill its sealing function. The wave-shaped sealing lip cannot lie against the sealing object, for example a vehicle window pane, over its entire length, continuously. Furthermore, it impairs the appearance of the sealing profile and might cause wind noises.
The invention is based on the task of creating a new sealing profile of the type mentioned initially, having a sealing lip that is shape-resistant when laid in bent manner.
The sealing profile that accomplishes this task, according to the invention, is characterized in that the sealing lip is widened toward one side, compared with its starting thickness (S), which it demonstrates at its end facing the profile shank, and that the delimitation line of the cross-sectional surface of the sealing lip, which line faces away from this side, runs in sickle-shaped manner toward the free end of the lip.
It is advantageous that a sealing lip formed in this manner retains a cross-sectional shape that is uniform over its length, when the sealing profile is laid in bent manner.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the widened part drops from a maximum (S1) to a minimum (S3) toward the free end of the sealing lip, and increases from the minimum (S3) to a further maximum (S2) at the free end of the sealing lip. The widened part therefore preferably comprises a bulge, followed by another maximum, after a minimum, toward the free end of the sealing lip, so that the entire sealing lip is bent away in the manner of a sickle at the free end.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing lip has a slide layer on its side facing away from the widened part, whereby this slide layer preferably reaches maximally all the way to a minimal rounding radius at the free end of the sealing lip, i.e. its tip. Because the slide layer is not passed around the tip to the other side of the lip, it cannot promote the formation of a wave shape during bending of the sealing profile.
Preferably, the sealing lip is widened on a side that faces a neutral bent surface of the sealing profile.
The sealing profile is preferably produced from a thermoplastic elastomer, which advantageously allows a reduction in the weight of the sealing profile. On the other hand, without the formation of the sealing lip according to the invention, specifically in the case of a thermoplastic elastomer, there would be the danger that the sealing profile deforms in undesirable manner during bending.
Preferably, the slide layer consists of a thermoplastic, particularly a thermoplastic elastomer, which is harder than the thermoplastic elastomer of the remainder of the sealing profile.
Independent of its material, it is practical if the slide layer is co-extruded with the remainder of the sealing profile.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the profile shank extends perpendicular to the neutral bent surface mentioned above, and the sealing lip stands inclined at a slant away from the profile shank and toward the neutral bent surface.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below, using an exemplary embodiment and the drawings that relate to this exemplary embodiment. The figures show:
A sealing profile 1 produced from a thermoplastic elastomer serves for sealing a movable vehicle window pane 23 at the upper shank 22 of a frame enclosure, and has fastening sections 2 and 3 for connecting the sealing profile with car body flanges 4 and 5, which are formed on the frame enclosure. The U-shaped fastening section 2, in which a U-shaped metallic reinforcement insert 6 is embedded, can be pushed onto the car body flange 4.
The sealing profile 1 furthermore comprises a U-shaped sealing section 25 having a long profile shank 7, a short profile shank 8, and a transverse shank 24. The transverse shank 24 simultaneously forms a U-shank of the fastening section 2. The upper edge of the window pane 23, indicated by means of broken lines, engages into the U-shaped sealing section 25, parallel to the profile shanks 7, 8.
A sealing lip 9 projects from the short profile shank 8, for making contact against the upper end or the outside of the window pane 23, which can be pressed into the U-profile of the sealing section 25 with its upper edge. Sealing lips 10 and 11, which project away from the long U-shank 7, serve for sealing on the inside of the pane.
The sealing profile 1 shown in
The sealing lip 11, which projects away, inclined at a slant relative to the neutral bent surface 15, from the longer profile shank 7, has a slide layer 18 that is shown in
On its side facing the neutral bent surface 15, the sealing lip 11 has a widened part 21 as compared with its starting thickness S, at the end adjacent to the profile shank 7. According to
S1>½S (1)
S2>½S (2).
Furthermore, the following apply/applies:
S3≦S1 and/or S3≦S2 (3).
For the equals signs in the relations (3), the lip shape occurs as indicated with a broken line 12 in
For the total length L of the sealing lip 11, the length L1 to the minimum S3 and the length L2 to the maximum S1, the following equations apply:
½L≦L1≦S⅚L (4)
⅙L≦L2≦ 4/6L (5).
When the upper edge of the window pane 23 is pushed into the U-shaped sealing section 25, the sealing lips 9 to 11 are bent away by the window pane 23, toward the neutral bent surface 15. The sealing lip 11 lies against the window pane 23 with its slide layer 18. When the window pane 23 is lowered, the sliding layer 18 ensures that the sealing lip 11 maintains its inclined position relative to the neutral bent surface 15, and does not fold over in the opposite direction. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the slide layer 18 is passed approximately to the minimal rounding radius, i.e. approximately to the tip at the free end of the sealing lip 11, but at least, the slide layer 18 must extend so far toward the end of the lip that no friction occurs between the glass surface and the region of the sealing lip 11 that does not have the slide layer, when the window pane is lowered. On the other hand, the slide layer is not allowed to be passed so far around the tip of the sealing lip 11 that it promotes the formation of wave-like deformations of the sealing lip during bending of the sealing profile.
Despite the bent laying of the sealing strand 1, which is connected with compression of the sealing lip 11, no wave-like deformation of the sealing lip, which would impair the sealing function and/or the appearance of the sealing lip 11, occurs at all. The sealing lip 11 continuously lies against the window pane 23 over its entire length.
The said slide layer 18 could alternatively be formed by a flocking layer or by a film, possibly a flocked film, applied to the extruded sealing profile.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2011 011 111.5 | Feb 2011 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP12/00568 | 2/8/2012 | WO | 00 | 10/2/2013 |
