CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-203162 filed on Oct. 29, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a sealing member provided for an automobile door.

Conventionally, an automobile door has been provided with a sealing member for sealing a gap between the door and the periphery of an opening of a vehicle body (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3755080 and Japanese Patent No. 6065798). A sealing member of Japanese Patent No. 3755080 has an extrusion-molded portion and a molded portion that is molded by using a molding die. The molded portion has a corner piece being in elastic contact with the joint between an upper portion of a center pillar of the vehicle body and a roof. The corner piece is mounted to a window frame of the door. A fixing plate is used to fix the molded portion to the window frame. The fixing plate includes a resin plate body and two clip strips protruding from a side surface of the plate body outside the vehicle. The plate body is assembled to the molded portion. In this state, the clip strips are respectively inserted into, and run through, insertion holes of the molded portion, and are respectively inserted into, and run through, engagement holes of the window frame so as to be engaged with the peripheries of the engagement holes. This allows the molded portion to be immovably assembled to a sash.

According to Japanese Patent No. 6065798, a planar sealing member-mount extending toward the outside of the cabin, on which the sealing member is mounted, is provided for an upper portion of the window frame. The sealing member is mounted to the planar sealing member-mount from the outside of the cabin. Such a sealing member configured to be mounted to the window frame from outside of the cabin as described in Japanese Patent No. 6065798 is called a “hiding type” sealing member partially covering the window frame from the outside of the cabin. This sealing member may sometimes be adopted due to, e.g., design requirements of a vehicle.

In Japanese Patent No. 6065798, a protruding portion of the sealing member is integrated with a corner portion of an upper end portion of the sealing member, and is fixed to the window frame by a mounting member.

SUMMARY

It is not recommended that a terminal portion of the sealing member fixed to the window frame be separated from the window frame. The reason for this is that, in this situation, a narrower portion of the gap between the sealing member and the vehicle body may degrade appearance, and may cause the sealing member to rattle when the terminal portion and its vicinity of the sealing member is pressed from the outside of the vehicle.

To address this problem, for example, clips of a fixing plate similar to those disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3755080 may be used to fix the terminal portion to the window frame. However, to reduce rattling, two clips are required as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3755080. Thus, a need arises to allow the window frame to have two engagement holes in which the clips are respectively to be engaged.

However, since a planar sealing member-mount of a hiding type sealing member similar to that disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6065798 extends from the window frame toward the outside of the cabin, it becomes difficult for the window frame to have a space for forming two engagement holes. In particular, in recent years, if the window frame is thin in response to the design requirements, this difficulty causes a significant problem.

In addition, in Japanese Patent No. 6065798, the protruding portion is fixed, as a structure that fixes the hiding type sealing member, to the window frame by the mounting member. However, since this example is directed to the hiding type sealing member, the window frame can have only one engagement hole as can be seen from the foregoing description. Thus, the terminal portion of the sealing member may be separated from the window frame.

In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to, if a sealing member is mounted to a planar sealing member-mount extending from a window frame toward outside of the cabin, reduce separation of a terminal portion of the sealing member from the window frame.

To achieve the foregoing object, a first aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a sealing member for an automobile door configured to be mounted to a planar sealing member-mount extending toward outside of a cabin from an upper portion of a window frame, and to seal a gap between the window frame and a window glass. The upper portion extends to define a window opening of the automobile door. A fixing member is provided on a terminal portion of the sealing member in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, and is made of a material harder than a molded portion forming part of the terminal portion. The fixing member has a body portion, an engagement portion, and a fixing target portion. The body portion is fixed to the terminal portion of the sealing member. The engagement portion holds the planar sealing member-mount in a thickness direction to engage with the planar sealing member-mount. The fixing target portion is fixed to a portion of the window frame remote from the planar sealing member-mount in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

According to this configuration, the terminal portion of the sealing member is fixed to the window frame through the fixing member. At this time, the engagement portion of the fixing member holds the planar sealing member-mount of the window frame in the thickness direction, and the fixing target portion is fixed to the portion of the window frame remote from the planar sealing member-mount in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. That is to say, since portions of the fixing member separated from each other are fixed to the window frame, the fixing member is stabilized, and is less likely to rattle. This can reduce separation of the terminal portion of the sealing member from the window frame.

The planar sealing member-mount extending toward the outside of the cabin is used to fix the engagement portion of the fixing member. Thus, only a small space for the window frame is required to fix the fixing member. The hiding type sealing member can also reduce separation of the terminal portion of the sealing member from the window frame.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, the terminal portion of the sealing member may have a molded portion molded by using an openable molding die, the molded portion of the terminal portion of the sealing member may be connected to an extrusion-molded portion that is extrusion-molded together with a core material, and the fixing member may have an extension portion extended to, and supported by, the extrusion-molded portion.

According to this configuration, since the extension portion of the fixing member mounted to the sealing member is supported by the core material of the extrusion-molded portion, the fixing member is further stabilized.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, the extension portion may have an abutting plate portion configured to abut against the planar sealing member-mount from above.

According to this configuration, since the abutting plate portion of the extension portion of the fixing member abuts against the planar sealing member-mount with the sealing member mounted to the window frame, the fixing member is further stabilized.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the extension portion may have an end surface abutting portion configured to abut against an end surface of the planar sealing member-mount near outside of the cabin.

According to this configuration, the end surface abutting portion of the fixing member abuts against the end surface of the planar sealing member-mount near the outside of the cabin with the sealing member mounted to the window frame. Thus, the fixing member is positioned in the inside-to-outside direction of the cabin.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the engagement portion may have an upper abutting portion and a lower abutting portion. The upper abutting portion protrudes from the body portion toward inside of the cabin, and is configured to abut against the planar sealing member-mount from above. The lower abutting portion protrudes from the body portion toward the inside of the cabin, and is configured to abut against the planar sealing member-mount from below.

According to this configuration, since, while the sealing member is mounted to the window frame, the upper abutting portion of the fixing member abuts against the planar sealing member-mount from above, and the lower abutting portion abuts against the planar sealing member-mount from below, the fixing member is less likely to rattle in the up-down direction.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a front end portion of at least one of the upper and lower abutting portions in a protruding direction may be provided with a guide configured to guide the planar sealing member-mount between the upper and lower abutting portions.

According to this configuration, when the planar sealing member-mount is to be inserted between the upper and lower abutting portions during assembly of the sealing member, the planar sealing member-mount is guided relatively into a space between the upper and lower abutting portions by the guide.

According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a fixing member is provided on a terminal portion of a sealing member, and has an engagement portion and a fixing target portion. The engagement portion holds a planar sealing member-mount in a thickness direction. The fixing target portion is fixed to a portion of a window frame remote from the planar sealing member-mount. Thus, the fixing member can be stabilized. Thus, if the sealing member is mounted to the planar sealing member-mount, separation of the terminal portion of the sealing member from the window frame can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, since an extension portion of the fixing member is supported by a core material of an extrusion-molded portion, the fixing member is further stabilized. This can reduce rattling of the terminal portion of the sealing member.

According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, since an abutting plate portion of the extension portion abuts against the planar sealing member-mount from above, the fixing member is further stabilized. This can reduce rattling of the terminal portion of the sealing member.

According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an end surface abutting portion of the extension portion abutting against an end surface of the planar sealing member-mount near the outside of the cabin allows the fixing member to be positioned in the inside-to-outside direction of the cabin. This allows the terminal portion of the sealing member to be assembled at a predetermined position.

According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, since the fixing member has an upper abutting portion abutting against the planar sealing member-mount from above, and a lower abutting portion abutting against the planar sealing member-mount from below, the fixing member is less likely to rattle in the up-down direction. This can reduce rattling of the terminal portion of the sealing member.

According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, since the planar sealing member-mount is guided between the upper and lower abutting portions, the sealing member can be more easily assembled.

