Sashless door sealing assembly, fastening assembly and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573451-B1
Application number	US-201514881201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Oct 13, 2015
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle sashless door sealing assembly, fastening assembly and method include an elongated structural member, a garnish member, and a door seal retainer disposed below the garnish assembly for holding a window pane door seal. The fastening assembly, which secures the garnish member and the door seal retainer to the elongated structural member, includes a collar having a radial flange portion interposed between the door seal retainer and an exterior surface of the garnish member and having an axial neck portion extending from the radial flange portion into a garnish aperture defined in the garnish member. The fastening assembly further includes a fastener received through a fastener aperture defined in the door seal retainer, through a fastener aperture defined in the collar and through a fastener aperture defined in the elongated structural member to thereby secure the garnish member and the door seal retainer to the elongated structural member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sashless door sealing assembly on a vehicle, comprising:
an elongated structural member extending along a door opening of the vehicle;
a garnish member disposed on an exterior side of the elongated structural member;
a door seal retainer disposed on the exterior side of the elongated structural member below the garnish member for holding a window pane door seal; and
a fastening assembly for securing the garnish member and the door seal retainer to the elongated structural member, the fastening assembly including:
a collar having a radial flange portion interposed between the door seal retainer and an exterior surface of the garnish member and having an axial neck portion extending from the radial flange portion into a garnish aperture defined in the garnish member, and
a fastener received through a fastener aperture defined in the door seal retainer, through a fastener aperture defined in the collar and through a fastener aperture defined in the elongated structural member to thereby secure the garnish member and the door seal retainer to the elongated structural member.

2. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongated structural member and the door seal retainer are metal and the garnish member is non-metallic.

3. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 2 wherein the elongated structural member is formed of steel and the door seal retainer is formed of aluminum.

4. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein the fastening assembly further includes:
a sleeve member including a radial flange portion and an axial neck portion, the radial flange portion interposed between a distal end of the axial neck portion of the collar and the exterior side of the elongated structural member, the axial neck portion extending from the radial flange portion into the fastener aperture defined in the elongated structural member, the sleeve member defining a fastener aperture that receives the fastener to retain the fastener to the elongated structural member and thereby the garnish member and the door seal retainer to the elongated structural member.

5. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 4 wherein the sleeve member is a rivet nut that includes interior threads disposed on the axial neck portion within the fastener aperture of the rivet nut and includes a bulged portion along the axial neck portion for securing the rivet nut to the elongated structural member.

6. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein the fastener includes a head portion disposed against an exterior surface of the door seal retainer and a threaded shaft portion threadedly secured to mount the door seal retainer and the garnish member to the elongated structural member.

7. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein the garnish member includes:
an exterior portion having an upper end sealed to a roof panel and a lower side overlapping an upper flange of the door seal retainer; and
an interior portion depending downward from an inner side of the exterior portion at a location between the upper and lower ends of the exterior portion, a lower portion of the interior portion interposed between the door seal retainer and the elongated structural member.

8. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 7 wherein the interior portion of the garnish member is interposed between an underside of the radial flange portion of the collar and the exterior side of the elongated structural member.

9. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 1 wherein the fastening assembly further includes:
a seal interposed between an underside of the door seal retainer and the exterior side of the garnish member.

10. The sashless door sealing assembly of claim 9 wherein the collar includes an annular lip depending from the underside thereof, the lip radially spaced apart from the axial neck portion with an adhesive radially interposed between the lip and the axial neck portion of the collar for adhering the collar to the exterior surface of the garnish member, the lip maintaining a minimum spacing between the radial flange portion of the collar and the exterior surface of the garnish member.

11. A fastening assembly for securing a garnish member and a door seal retainer to an elongated structural member, comprising:
a fastener received through a fastener aperture defined in the door seal retainer, through a fastener aperture defined in the garnish member and through a fastener aperture defined in the elongated structural member to thereby secure the door seal retainer and the garnish member to the elongated structural member; and
a collar having a radial flange portion positioned between the door seal retainer and the garnish member, and having a neck portion extending annularly from the radial flange portion to define a fastener aperture in the collar into which the fastener is received, the neck portion of the collar extending toward the elongated structural member and into the fastener aperture defined in the garnish member.

12. The fastening assembly of claim 11 further including a sleeve member having a radial flange portion and a neck portion, the radial flange portion positioned between garnish member and an exterior surface of the elongated structural member, the neck portion extending form the radial flange portion into the fastener aperture defined in the elongated structural member.

13. The fastening assembly of claim 12 wherein the collar and the sleeve member form a metallic link between the door seal retainer and the elongated structural member.

14. The fastening assembly of claim 12 wherein the radial flange portion is also positioned between a distal end surface of the neck portion of the collar and the exterior surface of the elongated structural member.

15. The fastening assembly of claim 11 further including:
a first seal positioned between an inner surface of the door seal retainer and an exterior surface of the garnish member at a location radially outward relative to the radial flange portion of the collar; and
a second seal positioned between an inner surface of the garnish member and the exterior surface of the elongated structural member at a location radially outward relative to the neck portion of the collar.

16. A method for securing a garnish member and a door seal retainer to an elongated structural member that extends along a door opening of a vehicle, comprising:
inserting an axial neck portion of a collar into a garnish aperture defined in the garnish member;
positioning the garnish member relative to the elongated structural member such that a fastener aperture defined by the collar is in registry with a fastener aperture defined in the elongated structural member and the garnish member is positioned on an exterior side of the elongated structural member;
positioning the door seal retainer relative to the elongated structural member such that a fastener aperture of the door seal retainer is in registry with the fastener apertures of the garnish member and the elongated structural member and a radial flange portion of the collar from which the axial neck portion extends is positioned between the door seal retainer and the garnish member; and
installing a fastener into the fastener apertures of the door seal retainer, the garnish member and the elongated structural member to thereby secure the garnish member and the door seal retainer to the elongated structural member.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the elongated structural member and the door seal retainer are metal and the garnish member is non-m

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bach Edward W
• Schmitt Matthew Weyand
• Matsuura Hirokazu
• Yamazaki Teruo
• Ishikawa Masahiro

Classifications

• B60J10/34

  using adhesives · CPC title

• B60J10/84 Primary

  arranged on the vehicle body · CPC title

• B60J10/36

  using separately inserted fastening means, e.g. using clips, beads or strips · CPC title

• B60R13/04

  External} Ornamental or guard strips; Ornamental inscriptive devices {thereon (fastening strips or bars to sheets or plates by means of clips F16B5/12) · CPC title

• B60J10/77

  for sashless windows, i.e. for frameless windows forming a seal directly with the vehicle body · CPC title