Patent Application
20180134134
The disclosure relates to a sealing assembly for vehicle windscreens.
German Patent Number DE 3 606 566 discloses a mount for the windscreen of a motor vehicle, which mount includes a split frame that releasably grips the windscreen on its inner and outer surfaces. There are also U-shaped profiles which clasp the lower edge of the pane and exhibit or form a catch-ridge for a water box cover disposed thereunder. The usual practice is to cement the U-shaped profile or a cranked section strip, e.g., as specified in German Patent Number DE 68 911 385, to the windscreen from the back (inside) by means of an adhesive string, e.g., a polyurethane string, in order to create a permanent bond therewith.
To prevent the windscreen wipers from sweeping beyond the lower outer limb of the profiled frame, they are conventionally arranged such that their position of rest is in the lower region of the windscreen above the profile. This impairs, inter alia, the air resistance coefficient that is proportional to the square of the speed of the vehicle whereby the fuel consumption rises considerably, particularly during travel at high speed. In addition, the noise level is also influenced.
It is therefore desirable to place the windscreen wiper at a lower position. As it is imperative to have a sealed transition between the lower edge of the windscreen and the water box cover, it is necessary to ensure that the wipers operate without incurring damage.
The present disclosure provides a sealing assembly for vehicle windscreens.
In one embodiment, the sealing assembly of the present disclosure includes a profiled element having a hook shape in cross section and a sealing lip. The profiled element includes a supporting rib having a wedge shape, an upper section, a first projection and a spring member. The upper section extends upward from the support rib and has a contact region formed thereon to be attached to a rear surface of the vehicle windscreen. The first projection extends forward from a middle portion of the supporting rib, wherein the first projection is configured to be in contact with a bottom of the vehicle windscreen. The spring member extends from a lower portion of the supporting rib and is bent to project forward, wherein a bay is formed and surrounded by the supporting rib and the spring member. The bay is configured to receive a fin of a water box cover. The supporting rib and the spring member together are configured to clasp the fin of the water box cover. The sealing lip is flexible and is coupled to the supporting rib. The sealing lip includes a body portion and a second projection. The body portion is anchored to the supporting rib and the first projection, wherein the body portion is configured to be in contact with an upper surface of the water box cover. The second projection extends downward from a lower portion of the body portion, wherein the second projection is configured to be in contact with a front surface of the water box cover so that the fin of the water box cover is pushed further into the bay.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Reference is made to
The supporting rib 110 is of wedge shape and a projection 114 extends forward or outward from the middle portion of the supporting rib 110. A sealing lip 190 is coupled to the inclined surface 112 of the supporting rib 110. The sealing lip 190 has a body portion 192 that is anchored to the inclined surface 112 on at least right side surface 191. The body portion 192 of the sealing lip 190 is also anchored to the lower portion 113 and rear end 115 of the projection 114. The top surface of the body portion 192 is substantially flush with the top surface of the projection 114 as shown in
The installed sealing assembly of the present disclosure is shown in
A groove is formed on the transition region from the upper to middle region of the profiled element 100 to engage the rear bottom edge of the windscreen 210. The wedge-shaped supporting rib 110 is adjacent to the groove and protrudes with its inclined surface 112 forward or outward. The lower surface of the supporting rib 110 extends backward or inward by way of a bay 140 whose rearmost part is opposite to the buffer strip 180. From there the spring member 150 extends and project forward or outward. This part of the profiled element 100 clasps a fin 224 of the water box cover 220. The fin 224, supporting rib 110 and spring member 150 therefore form snap-locking means. The reinforcement or stiffener 160 follows the general hook shape of the profiled element 100, but may also be shorter than drawn.
The windscreen 210 is, at its bottom edge 212, in frictional and form-fitting contact with both the sealing lip 190 and projection 114. The sealing lip 190 is a solid body of soft material and the soft material is preferably a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), a microcellular rubber or some other suitable material. The lower surface 195 of the body portion 192 bears snugly against the upper surface 223 of a water box cover 220. The projection 194 bears, especially at its rear end, directly against the front surface 222 of the water box cover 220. The projection 194 presses against the water box cover 220 so that the fin 224 of the water box cover 220 may be further pushed into the bay 140 of the profiled element 100 and therefore form stronger snap-locking.
The disclosure is not restricted to any of the embodiments described above but can be modified in many ways. In particular, a great variety of combinations of materials for the sealing lip 190 and the profiled element 100 can be used over and above the embodiments described heretofore. Suitable materials are, for example, TPE, TPO, PP, PVC, PVC/ABS or other thermoplastic plastics materials.
In summary, it may be stated that a preferred sealing assembly for vehicle windscreens embodies a profiled element 100 that includes a spring member 150 and has the shape of a hook in cross-section. The contact regions 122 of the profiled element 100 are attached to the rear surface 211 of the windscreen 210 and the bottom edge 212 of the windscreen 210 is in frictional contact with the sealing lip 190 and the projection 114 of the profiled element 100. The profiled element 100 is designed for sealed locking engagement with the fin 224 of the water box cover 220. The sealing lip 190 is positioned to fit between the bottom edge 212 of the windscreen 210 and the upper surface 223 of the water box cover 220. The sealing lip 190 projects outward together with the supporting rib 110 to form a resilient clamping and supporting element between the bottom edge 212 of the windscreen 210 and the fin 224. At least one side surface 191 of the sealing lip 190 is firmly bonded to the inclined surface 112 of the profiled element 100. The profiled element 100 and/or the sealing lip 190 may be of a combination of materials, for example they may form composite elements that are soft on the outside and hard on the inside. The reinforcement or stiffener 160 increases the elasticity. In addition, the projection 194 of the sealing lip 190 presses against the front surface 222 of the water box cover 220 so that the fin 224 of the water box cover 220 may be further pushed into the bay 140 of the profiled element 100 and therefore form stronger sealed locking engagement with the profiled element 100. The exposed parts of the string 170 is configured for a technician to pull out the projection 194 when the flexible projection 194 is pressed between the lower surface 195 of the body portion 192 and the upper surface 223 of the water box cover 220 in the installation of the profiled element 100.
Although the preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
