Patent Application
20150068128
A coextruded or tri-extruded bulb seal which is constructed of at least one softer and one harder polymer material for various in-vehicle applications including, without limitation, along extending edge interfaces associated with the cowl to hood, rocker seal, grill seal, rear trunk and deck lid seals, lift gate seal, etc. The seal eliminates the need for a secondary molded attachment pin, as it is integrated into the part.
A cowl to hood seal variant depicts a tri-extruded variant, including a base attaching material exhibiting a more rigid filled or unfilled polypropylene, a polygonal and interiorly hollowed softer thermoplastic olefin, thermal plastic vulcanite, ethylene propylene diene monomer or the like, and an olefinic based slip coat which is coated or otherwise post applied and cured about the part and which provides a lowered coefficient of friction, such as during installation of the anchoring base material into a slot or channel associated with the mounting location. One application of the tri-extruded seal located between the cowl and glass also depicts the use of a snap-in assembly with overlap, this including integrated end muckets which conform to an edge profile of the vehicle fender.
The prior art is well documented with examples of composite extrusions having both thermoset and thermoplastic components. Among these are included the method for forming a composite extrusions in Cook, U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,165 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,785. In each instance, a main body portion is extruded from a thermosetting material, heated, and then coextruded with a second thermoplastics material, following which the co-extrusion is cooled and formed into its final shape.
Venkataswamy, U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,589, teaches an olefinic slip coating for automotive weatherseals. Other vehicle related seals include that depicted in Rood, U.S. Pat. No. 6,617,015, (and which depicts an upper flexible bulb shaped portion constructed of a softer thermoplastic foam in combination with an integrally formed base portion of polymeric material and configured with spaced apart and recess defining walls for fitting upon a support flange). Miyakawa, US 2011/0219699, teaches an extrusion molded product having a core material for mounting to a peripheral flange such as associated with a door, trunk, or the like and including a base portion 6, an outer coating layer 8 and an upper extending hollow seal portion 2 having any of a polygonal, circular, elliptical or other shape as required.
Harland, US 2010/0263292, teaches a multi-material layered weatherseal extrusion having a lip extending from one side of a body, the lip including a bather layer and decorative layer. A core of the weatherseal can be broken and the second or decorative layer applied downstream of the first extrusion crosshead. The first and second layers are then applied in a second crosshead extrusion die.
A further class of weather strip seals are shown in each of Hashimoto, U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,217, Offenbacher, U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,497, Otsuka, US 2013/0067821, Kuwabra, US 2013/0160375 and Harland US 2010/0263292.
The present invention discloses a seal for incorporation into a vehicle application, including an elongated body having a first softer portion exhibiting a multi-sided and enclosed cross sectional profile and a second more rigid portion coextruded with the softer portion and which is adapted to being resistively engaged with an extending location associated with a vehicle panel so that the first portion is supported upon the panel adapted to being contacted by a further component associated with the vehicle. The first portion further includes a multi-sided profile in cross section with a hollow interior in order to facilitate controlled and cushioning collapse when compressed and may also exhibit an upper portion having a generally conical pointed upper end and a pair of outwardly flared lower ends.
Additional features include a slip coat applied over at least one of the first and second portions of the elongated body and including any type of plastic olefinic based grade or post applied and cured material. The second portion has an elongated base material which includes an upper most planar shaped mounting ledge exhibiting a given width with opposite edges to which said lower ends of the first portion are co-extruded. A plurality of spaced apart and integrally projecting anchor portions project from a reverse side of the planar mounting ledge. Each of the anchor portions has a central support and a pair of beams extending in a reversed angled fashion from an end of the central support, the beams terminating in configured edge profiles which facilitate mounting of the anchor portions within apertures defined in the vehicle panel.
The vehicle panel further includes a cowl panel configured with an exposed and width extending channel which is adapted for receiving the elongated seal in resistive engaging fashion. A pair of end supporting muckets are integrated into the cowl panel for providing interface support between the seating ends of the seal and the adjoining vehicle fenders.
The first portion can also include any of a thermoplastic elastomer, thermal plastic vulcanite, or ethylene propylene diene rubber material. The second portion can also include any of a filled or unfilled polypropylene, a thermoplastic olefin, or a more dense ethylene propylene diene rubber. In application, the elongated body is adapted to being incorporated into any of a hood to radiator, rocker, front grille, rear trunk, deck lid or lift gate application.
Reference will now be made to the attached drawings, when read in combination with the following detailed description, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout he several views, and in which:
As previously described, a coextruded or tri-extruded bulb seal is provided and which is constructed of at least one softer and one harder polymer material for various in-vehicle applications. These can include, without limitation, such seals being integrated along extending edge interfaces associated with the cowl to hood, rocker seal, grill seal, rear trunk and deck lid seals, lift gate seal, etc. Among other advantages, the seal eliminates the need for a secondary molded attachment pin, as it is integrated into the part.
One non-limiting depicted variant of cowl to hood seal provides a tri-extruded article, including a base attaching material exhibiting a more rigid filled or unfilled polypropylene, a polygonal and interiorly hollowed softer thermoplastic olefin, thermal plastic vulcanite, ethylene propylene diene monomer or the like, and an olefinic based slip coat which is coated or otherwise post applied and cured about the part and which provides a lowered coefficient of friction, such as during installation of the anchoring base material into a slot or channel associated with the mounting location. One non-limiting application of the tri-extruded seal located between the cowl and glass also depicts the use of a snap-in assembly with overlap, this including integrated end muckets which conform to an edge profile of the vehicle fender.
Referring now to the illustrations,
The upper portion 12 as shown exhibits, according to one non-limiting example, a multi-sided (pseudo rectangular) profile in cross section with curved perimeter defining edges and which collectively defines a hollow interior, this in order to facilitate controlled and cushioning collapse of the upper portion 12 such as when compressed by an opposing inner rear surface of a vehicle hood or other moveable or stationary component associated with the vehicle (not shown). As further shown, the upper portion 12 exhibits a generally conical pointed upper end 14 and a pair of outwardly flared lower ends 16 and 18. A slipcoat 20 can be coated over the upper portion 12 and can include any type of plastic olefinic based grade or post applied and cured material, such as which reduces a coefficient of friction of the material in use among other advantages.
Co-extruded with the softer upper portion 12 is a harder/more rigid and elongated base material, this including an upper most planar mounting ledge 22 exhibiting a given width with opposite extending edges, along which the spaced lower ends 16 and 18 of the upper softer material 12 are engaged during the co-extrusion process (as best shown in the enlarged end view of
The base material and associated anchor portion can further be constructed of a filled or unfilled polypropylene (PP), a thermoplastic olefin (TPO), a more dense EPDM material or the like. As with the upper portion 12, the base material and anchor portion can further exhibit an overlay application of the slip coat 20 or other suitable material in order to enhance its operating properties.
Further best shown in
The succeeding environmental perspective of
As further described, the seal can be reconfigured for installation into any of hood to radiator, rocker, front grille, rear trunk, deck lid or lift gate applications. Yet additional variants of the invention further envisioned the seal being reconfigured as a wiper or lip seal or other bulb-type seal having any desired form or shape and which is coextruded or tri-extruded in the manner previously described in order to be installed into a suitable panel or supporting structure.
Having described my invention, other and additional preferred embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains, and without deviating from the scope of the appended claims.
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/874,556 filed on Sep. 6, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61874556 | Sep 2013 | US |
