JP2023179061A - Seal material for roof rails - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a seal member for roof rail that simplifies installation work of seal members by an operator, and can achieve shortening of work time.SOLUTION: A seal member 1 comprises: a seal base body part 7 which is provided between a roof rail 4 and a vehicle body 5, and is fixed to a rail end part 6 of the roof rail 4; and a seal lip part 8 which is extended from one end of the seal base body part 7, contacts a part of the vehicle body 5, and can be elastically deformed. The seal lip part 8 is so formed as to have a swollen part 10 which is swollen from a connection part 9 to the seal base body part 7 so that a rip part thickness T2 becomes thicker than a base body part thickness T1 of the seal base body part 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a roof rail seal member. More specifically, the present invention relates to a roof rail sealing member used when installing a roof rail on the roof of an automobile.

Conventionally, automobiles such as SUV types and station wagon types have been manufactured in which a pair of roof rails are mounted parallel to each other on the roof (roof portion) of the vehicle body. Such a roof rail is an elongated rail member having approximately the same length as the roof of the vehicle body. By spanning the base carrier between a pair of roof rails in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle, long items such as skis, snowboards, and surfboards, and large items such as bicycles can be placed on the base carrier. It is possible to load luggage.

This makes it possible to drive the vehicle with luggage such as skis loaded thereon, which cannot be accommodated in an existing storage space such as the trunk of the vehicle. Particularly in recent years, the number of people who enjoy camping and the like in addition to the above-mentioned outdoor sports has increased, and carrier boxes containing camping equipment and the like are sometimes loaded onto roof rails and moved to a camping site. Therefore, in recent years, not only vehicles such as SUVs but also light vehicles and other vehicles equipped with roof rails have been increasing.

To explain the structure of the roof rail in more detail, there are two types of roof rails: a conventional roof rail in which a large gap is formed between the roof of the vehicle and the roof rail, and a conventional roof rail in which the roof and the roof rail are in close contact over the entire surface of the roof rail, and the above gap is It can be broadly divided into direct roof rails (or flash rails) without roof rails. Furthermore, in the case of a direct roof rail, a roof rail sealing member 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "sealing member 100") is often disposed between the roof and the roof rail to prevent rainwater from entering. (See Figures 4-6).

The sealing member 100 is disposed between a roof rail 101 and a vehicle body 102 such as the roof of an automobile, and is made of a material such as hard rubber and has a longitudinal shape processed by a molding technique such as extrusion molding. It is something. More specifically, the seal member 100 includes a substantially flat seal base portion 104 that abuts and is fixed to the rail end portion 103 of the roof rail 101, and a seal base portion 104 that extends from one end of the seal base portion 104 and is elastically deformable. It mainly includes a seal lip portion 105.

4 to 6 are for explaining the configuration of the conventional sealing member 100, and all of them are shown approximately in the direction of travel of the automobile (corresponding to the direction from the depth side to the front side of the page in FIGS. 4 to 6). A cross section of the sealing member 100, the roof rail 101, and the vehicle body 102 in orthogonal directions is shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sealing member 100 disposed between the roof rail 101 and the vehicle body 102 has a seal lip portion 105 in contact with a part of the vehicle body 102 and is elastically deformed. It is possible to maintain sealing performance between the two. As a result, it is possible to prevent rainwater and the like from entering the inside (the right side in FIG. 5).

However, in the case of the general sealing member 100 for roof rails, there is a possibility that the following problems may occur.

That is, when performing the work of arranging the seal member 100 between the roof rail 101 and the vehicle body 102 as shown in FIG. After fixing with adhesive layer 109 using adhesive or double-sided tape, for example, it is necessary to attach the seal lip part 105 while pressing it against a part of the vehicle body 102 while slightly elastically deforming the seal lip part 105. there were.

As shown in FIG. 4 etc., the seal member 100 has a base thickness T1 of the seal base body 104 and a lip thickness T2 of the seal lip portion 105 extending from the seal base body 104, which are approximately the same thickness. In addition, the lip portion tip 106 of the seal lip portion 105 is slightly curved. Further, in order to facilitate elastic deformation, a notch 108 whose root portion has a concave cross-section is formed in the connecting portion 107 between the seal base portion 104 and the seal lip portion 105. As a result, the seal lip portion 105 is elastically deformed with respect to the seal base portion 104 so that the notch portion 108 is crushed (see FIG. 5).

However, a workshop or the like that is inexperienced with the work of arranging the seal member 100 is unable to adjust the force for elastically deforming the seal lip portion 105, and the seal lip portion 105 is moved in the desired elastic deformation direction (see FIG. 5). (equivalent to the diagonal direction to the right in the paper). As a result, force is applied in the direction of expanding the notch 108, and as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the seal lip 105 is bent into a dogleg shape near the center of the lip, and the seal member 100 could have been disposed between the roof rail 101 and the vehicle body 102.

In such an arrangement state, sufficient sealing performance between the roof rail 101 and the vehicle body 102 could not be ensured, and it was necessary to redo the arrangement work of the seal member 100. As a result, it was possible to adjust the seal lip portion 105 to properly elastically deform it, or to replace the seal member 100 itself. Therefore, it takes a lot of time to install the seal member 100, and there is a risk that the work efficiency will decrease.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a roof rail sealing member that can simplify the sealing member installation work by an operator, eliminate installation errors, and shorten the working time. That is.

In order to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present invention has conducted intensive research and found that it is possible to improve workability and efficiency by particularly improving the seal lip part into a unique shape. This discovery led to the completion of the present invention shown below.

[1] A seal member for a roof rail disposed between a roof rail and a vehicle body, comprising a seal base portion fixed to a rail end portion of the roof rail, and a seal base portion extending from one end of the seal base portion and attached to the vehicle body. a seal lip portion that is elastically deformable in contact with a portion of the seal base portion, and the seal lip portion is configured such that the lip portion is thicker than the base portion thickness of the seal base portion. A sealing member for a roof rail formed with a bulging portion that bulges out from a connecting portion with the roof rail.

[2] The seal base portion is formed to have an L-shaped cross section in accordance with the end cross-sectional shape of the rail end portion, and includes a flat plate portion fixed to the rail end portion and a bent portion from one end of the flat plate portion. The sealing member for a roof rail according to [1], wherein the seal lip portion has a curved portion and a bent portion, and the seal lip portion extends from the flat plate portion and the bent portion.

[3] The sealing member for a roof rail according to [1] or [2], wherein the seal base portion and the seal lip portion are formed of mutually different materials.

[4] The seal base portion is formed of a hard rubber material, and the seal lip portion is formed of a soft foam sponge material having a different specific gravity and hardness from the hard rubber material. The roof rail sealing member described in .

[5] The hard rubber material is a hard rubber made from ethylene-propylene-diene rubber as a raw material, and the soft foam sponge material is a sponge-like ethylene-propylene-diene rubber made from the ethylene-propylene-diene rubber as a raw material. The roof rail sealing member according to [4].

The seal member of the present invention includes a seal base portion and a seal lip portion, and is designed such that the lip portion thickness of the seal lip portion is thicker than the base portion thickness of the seal base portion. By having a bulging portion that bulges out from the connecting portion, it is possible to simplify the installation work of the seal member to the roof rail, prevent work errors by the operator, and shorten the work time.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a car equipped with roof rails. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sealing member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a seal member disposed between a roof rail and a vehicle body. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional sealing member. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional seal member disposed between a roof rail and a vehicle body. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional seal member that is incorrectly placed between a roof rail and a vehicle body.

Embodiments of the seal member of the present invention will be described below. Note that the sealing member of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and changes, modifications, and improvements can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1. Seal Member A roof rail seal member 1 (seal member 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided between a roof rail 4 attached to a roof 3 of an automobile 2 and a vehicle body 5 of the automobile 2 schematically shown in FIG. It is arranged in an elongated shape to match the length of the roof 3 and the roof rail 4 (corresponding to the left and right direction of the paper in FIG. 1).

Here, FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing an automobile 2 equipped with a roof rail 4, viewed from above, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a sealing member 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a seal member 1 disposed between a roof rail 4 and a vehicle body 5. FIG. 2 and 3 show a cross section of the seal member 1 along a direction (perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1) that is substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the automobile 2 (from the right side to the left in the paper in FIG. 1). It is something.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the seal member 1 of this embodiment includes a seal base portion 7 fixed to a rail end portion 6 of a roof rail 4 mounted on an automobile 2, and a seal base portion 7 extending from one end of the seal base portion 7. It mainly includes a seal lip part 8 which is provided and is in contact with a part of the vehicle body 5 and can be elastically deformed. More specifically, the seal lip portion 8 is formed at the connection portion between the seal base portion 7 and the seal lip portion 8 such that the lip portion thickness T2 is thicker than the base portion thickness T1 of the seal base portion 7. It is formed with a bulging portion 10 bulging out from 9.

That is, with respect to a part of the seal base part 7 which has a substantially flat plate shape and is formed with a predetermined base part thickness T1, the seal lip part 8 has a bulged part 10 that is more swollen than the seal base part 7 in cross-sectional view. We are prepared.

Further, the seal base portion 7 is formed to have an L-shaped cross section along the end cross-sectional shape of the rail end portion 6 of the roof rail 4, and is fixed to the side end surface 6a of the rail end portion 6 by a known fixing means. A bent portion 13 is bent approximately 90 degrees from one end of the flat plate portion 12 and faces the lower end surface 6b of the rail end portion 6. Here, the seal lip portion 8 extends from one side of the flat plate portion 12 and the bent portion 13. Furthermore, as a well-known fixing means for fixing the flat plate part 12 to the rail end part 6, an adhesive layer 11 made of adhesive (or double-sided tape) is provided in this embodiment.

In this way, the seal member 1 of this embodiment is formed so that the lip thickness T2 of the seal lip portion 8 having the bulging portion 10 is thicker than the base thickness T1 of the seal base portion 7. Therefore, there is almost no possibility that the seal lip portion 8 is bent near the center of the seal lip portion 8.

Further, in the seal member 1 of this embodiment, in order to form the seal lip portion 8 having the bulging portion 10, the seal base portion 7 and the seal lip portion 8 are made of different materials.

Specifically, the seal base portion 7 of the seal member 1 of the present embodiment is made of hard rubber (hereinafter referred to as "hard rubber") made of ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, which has the characteristics of rubber that can be elastically deformed in response to stress. (referred to as "EPDM").

On the other hand, the seal lip portion 8 is made of ethylene-propylene-diene rubber as a raw material, has a plurality of voids inside, and has sponge-like ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (hereinafter referred to as " (referred to as "sponge EPDM"). Here, the hard rubber EPDM corresponds to the hard rubber material in the present invention, and the sponge EPDM corresponds to the soft foam sponge material in the present invention.

In the sealing member of the present invention, the hard rubber material is not limited to the above-mentioned hard rubbers, but includes, for example, olefin thermoplastic elastomer, styrene thermoplastic elastomer, other rubber materials, or rubber-like elasticity. Other elastic materials may be mentioned. On the other hand, the soft foam sponge material is not limited to the above-mentioned ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, and examples of the soft foam sponge material include olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, or other rubber materials. Other elastic materials having rubber-like elasticity may be mentioned.

As described above, the seal member 1 of this embodiment is formed using two types of materials having different properties, such as sponge EPDM and hard rubber EPDM. Note that sponge EPDM and hard rubber EPDM are well-known materials used in manufacturing resin molded parts for automobiles, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted here.

By adjusting the specific gravity and hardness of the hard rubber EPDM used for the seal base portion 7 and the sponge EPDM used for the seal lip portion 8 within the above ranges, and constructing the seal member 1, the roof rail 4 and the vehicle body 5 are It is possible to stabilize the sealing performance between the parts, and to improve the workability in the above-mentioned installation work.

In particular, by forming the seal base portion 7 that contacts and is fixed to the roof rail 4 from hard rubber EPDM, the seal member 1 can be securely fixed to the roof rail 4. On the other hand, by forming the seal lip portion 8 with sponge EPDM, elastic deformation is likely to occur due to contact with the vehicle body 5, and sealing performance is further improved due to the elastic repulsion force after the elastic deformation. As a result, rainwater or the like can be prevented from entering the interior of the vehicle from between the vehicle body 5 and the seal member 1. That is, the effect of sealing performance (water-stopping performance) by the sealing member 1 can be enhanced.

As described above, by having the seal lip part 8 having the bulging part 10, and by forming the seal base part 7 and the seal lip part 8 from two types of materials with different properties depending on their respective characteristics, When the seal member 1 is installed between the roof rail 4 and the vehicle body 5, an installation error such as bending near the center of the seal lip portion 8 as shown in FIG. 6 may occur. less likely. This makes it possible to simplify the work of disposing the seal member 1, and to shorten the work time. In addition, high sealing performance by the seal member 1 can be stably maintained.

2. Method for Manufacturing Seal Member As described above, the seal member 1 of this embodiment is manufactured using two types of materials having different properties, such as sponge EPDM and hard rubber EPDM. At this time, the sealing member 1 can be manufactured using a "coextrusion molding" technique in which two types of materials are simultaneously extruded from a molding die. Such co-extrusion molding (or two-color extrusion molding) is well-known in resin processing, rubber processing, etc., and involves co-extruding a hard material and a soft material, or co-extruding a transparent material and a coloring material. It is possible to change the properties of specific parts of the product.

More specifically, first, a molding die (not shown) corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the sealing member 1 is set in an extrusion device capable of coextrusion molding. On the other hand, sponge EPDM and hard rubber EPDM that are heated, adjusted to extrudable viscosity, and in a flowable state are prepared in two raw material supply sections provided in the extrusion device. In this state, the sponge EPDM and the hard rubber EPDM are pressurized by a predetermined extrusion pressure from the two raw material supply sections, and extrusion molding is performed simultaneously from the molding die. At this time, by adjusting the extrusion pressures of the sponge EPDM and the hard rubber EPDM, respectively, the sponge EPDM and the hard rubber EPDM can be extruded to predetermined positions of the molding die. Thereby, the arrangement and ratio of the sponge EPDM and the hard rubber EPDM in the cross section of the sealing member 1 can be made uniform.

The sponge EPDM and hard rubber EPDM extruded from the molding die are cooled by contact with the surrounding outside air and lose fluidity. Then, it is extruded to a predetermined length (for example, about 500 mm) and then cut. As a result, a longitudinal workpiece made of two types of materials is formed. By performing Thomson punching on such a longitudinally shaped workpiece, the aforementioned fixing holes, notches, etc. can be formed. As a result, the manufacture of the seal member 1 of this embodiment is completed. Note that the Thomson punching process is a well-known processing method in which a Thomson die with a blade embedded in plywood as a base is used to press and punch out the material to be processed, and a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted here. In the method for manufacturing the seal member 1 of this embodiment, the method using the above-mentioned coextrusion molding is exemplified, but the method is not limited thereto, and the seal member 1 may be manufactured using other well-known molding techniques for resin materials. It doesn't matter if it's something.

The sealing member of the present invention has applicability in the industrial technical field related to the manufacture of automobiles equipped with roof rails.

1,100: Seal member (seal member for roof rail), 2: Automobile, 3: Roof, 4,101: Roof rail, 5,102: Vehicle body, 6,103: Rail end, 6a: Side end surface, 6b: Lower end surface , 7, 104: Seal base portion, 8, 105: Seal lip portion, 9, 107: Connection portion, 10: Swelling portion, 11, 109: Adhesive layer, 12: Flat plate portion, 13: Bent portion, 106: Lip 108: Notch portion, T1: Thickness of base portion, T2: Thickness of lip portion.

Claims (5)

A roof rail sealing member disposed between a roof rail and a vehicle body,
a seal base portion fixed to a rail end portion of the roof rail;
a seal lip portion extending from one end of the seal base portion, abutting a part of the vehicle body and being elastically deformable;
The seal lip portion is
A sealing member for a roof rail formed with a bulging portion that bulges out from a connection portion with the seal base portion such that the lip portion is thicker than the base portion thickness of the seal base portion. The seal base portion is
formed to have an L-shaped cross section in accordance with the end cross-sectional shape of the rail end,
a flat plate portion fixed to the end of the rail;
a bent part bent from one end of the flat plate part,
The seal lip portion is
The roof rail seal member according to claim 1, which extends from the flat plate portion and the bent portion. The seal base portion and the seal lip portion are
The sealing member for a roof rail according to claim 1 or 2, which is formed of mutually different materials. The seal base portion is
Made of hard rubber material,
The seal lip portion is
The sealing member for a roof rail according to claim 1, which is formed of a soft foam sponge material having a different specific gravity and hardness from the hard rubber material. The hard rubber material is
A hard rubber made from ethylene-propylene-diene rubber,
The soft foam sponge material is
The roof rail sealing member according to claim 4, which is a spongy ethylene-propylene-diene rubber made from the ethylene-propylene-diene rubber as a raw material.

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