FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The subject disclosure generally relates to a flush window assembly, more particularly, a sealing profile or weathership for sealing a flushed window of a vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Referring now to the drawings, exemplary illustrations are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent schematic configurations, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain an innovative aspect of an illustrative configuration. Further, the exemplary illustrations described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limiting or restricting to the precise form and configuration shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.

[0003] FIG. 1 is a side view of a portion of an exemplary vehicle including vehicle doors having flushed windows.

[0004] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a window assembly including a seal.

[0005] FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the window assembly taken along the cutting plane passing through the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 with the window assembly including a window, seal, seal support, and fixed member, according to one configuration.

[0006] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of FIG. 3 of the window assembly.

[0007] FIG. 5 is a partial view of the window assembly including the window and the fixed member spaced from the window with the window including a first glass pane and a second glass pane.

[0008] FIG. 6 is cross-section view of the window assembly taken along the cutting plane passing through the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 with the window assembly including a seal support, according to another configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, configurations of a window assembly 10 are shown through the figures and are described in detail below.

[0010] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a door of a vehicle, which comprises the window assembly 10 (shown in FIG. 2). More specifically, FIG. 1 is a side view of the vehicle including the door 12 having a movable window 14 that moves between an open position and a closed position. The window 14 is slidably received in vertical tracks in the vehicle door 12. The window assembly 10 functions to secure the window 14 to the vehicle door 12 when the vehicle is traveling, to provide a seal between the window 14 and vehicle door 12, and to provide aesthetically pleasing appearance when viewed from an exterior of the vehicle.

[0011] Advantageously, the movable window 14 is adapted to be flushed with an exterior of the vehicle and/or an exterior member. As described here, the term “flush” herein includes the case where surfaces are substantially flush with each other in addition to the case where surfaces are physically flush with each other. The term “flush” is to be interpreted as meaning that there is little to no substantial perception of a level difference between surfaces at least from a visual point of view. In cases related to vehicles, the window is “flush” with the upper and/or lateral body parts which bound a window opening to be closed by the window. Thus, when viewed from the outside, the window appears not to be set back with respect to the body parts and/or another window. Rather, the impression of a continuous, planar pane and body surface is created on the exterior side of the vehicle. Further, an exterior surface of the window may be aligned with an exterior surface(s) of one or more exterior members. In some configurations, the exterior surfaces of the window and the exterior member are disposed on a common plane CP extending along a longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle. Although the common plane CP as shown throughout the Figures may appear to be a substantially flat plane, it will be appreciated that the common plane CP may be a curved plane or a wavy plane. In some configurations, the common plane CP may be configured to undulated, or may comprise irregularities. Any element may be arranged between the window and an exterior surface of the vehicle and/or the exterior member having the exterior surface to form a flush connection between the element, window, and the exterior surface of the vehicle and/or the exterior member. For example, a seal, a profile, a sealing profile, and the like may be the element. The seal may be arranged between the window and the exterior member such that the seal is flushed with the window and the exterior member. In this configuration, a tip of the exposed surface of the seal may be aligned with the common plane, slightly above, or slightly below the exterior surface of the window.

[0012] In the present disclosure and with reference to the drawings, a three-dimensional reference mark is used, the axis X is horizonal and orientated in the direction of draft of a vehicle, the axis Y is orientated towards the outside of the vehicle, and the axis Z is vertical and orientated ascending. The terms “front” or “rear” refer to the front and rear of the vehicle in relation to the axis X. The terms “internal”, “interior”, etc., are understood to mean elements located in a vehicle or orientated towards the interior of the vehicle in relation to axis Y. The terms “external”, “exterior”, etc., therefore refer to elements located on the outside of the vehicle or facing outwards in relation to axis Y. The terms “lower” and “upper” refer to the lower and upper part of the vehicle in relation to the axis Z.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the window assembly 10. The window assembly 10 comprises a sealing profile 16 such that the vehicle door 12 may incorporate the sealing profile 16 according to the various configurations of the invention. The window assembly 10 may include a number of sealing profiles 16 or seals 16. It will be appreciated that the terms sealing profiles and seals may be interchangeably unless otherwise stated. Specifically, the window assembly 10 may include one or more sealing profiles 16 and pillar profiles 18. Other profiles are contemplated. It will be further appreciated that the window assembly 10 including the sealing profile 16 may be utilized for sealing trunk openings, door openings, and sunroof openings of a vehicle. It should also be appreciated that the window assembly 10 including the sealing profile thereof may be used for other purposes that are not specifically related to vehicles and are not described herein. The sealing profile 16 will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0014] A fixed member 20 spaced from the window 14 is provided, as shown in FIG. 2. The fixed member 20 may be any component of the vehicle. The vehicle may include various decorative components, such as appliques or other decorative trim pieces mounted to the vehicle. For example, the fixed member 20 is an applique mounted to the vehicle between frames defined in the vehicle doors 12. In another example, the fixed member 20 is a glass component mounted to the vehicle door 12. In yet another example, the fixed member 20 is a portion of the vehicle such as the vehicle door 12. Other configurations are contemplated. It will be appreciated that the fixed member 20 may be considered an exterior member 20 and/or a decorative member 20. The decorative member 20 may have various finishes such as low gloss black, high gloss black, and chrome. The decorative member 20 includes an exterior surface 20a intended to be facing towards the exterior of the vehicle and an interior surface 20b intended to be facing towards the interior of the vehicle. The exterior surface 20a of the decorative member 20 is visible from the exterior of the vehicle. Further, the decorative member 20 includes at least one peripheral edge 20c extending between the exterior and interior surfaces 20a, 20b of the decorative member 20. [0015] The window 14 includes any number of glass panes. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the window 14 includes two glass panes: a first glass pane 22 and a second glass pane 24. In the configurations shown, the first glass pane 22 and the second glass pane 24 secured to the first glass pane 22 such that the first and second glass panes 22, 24 are arranged parallel to one another. The first and second glass panes 22, 24 may be laminated glass in which the first and second glass panes 22, 24 may be joined by a sheet or ply of interlayer material. The first and second glass panes 22, 24 illustrated throughout the drawings are realized as glass panes. In other versions, however, the first and second glass panes 22, 24 may be considered sheets of glass, plies of glass, films, or similar elements utilized in windows. It is contemplated that elements (such as the glass panes, intermediate films, etc.) of the window 14 may be formed and/or bonded in any suitable manner known to those skilled in the art. In some configurations, an intermediate film 26 may be provided between the first and second glass panes 22, 24. Each glass pane 22, 24 has an exterior surface 22a, 24a intended to be located facing towards the exterior of the vehicle, an interior surface 22b, 24b intended to be located facing towards the interior of the vehicle, and a peripheral edge 22c, 24c extending between the exterior and interior surfaces, respectively. A portion of at least one glass pane 22 or 24 extends further relative to the intermediate film 22 and/or the other glass pane 22 or 24.

[0016] As shown throughout the Figures, the second glass pane 24 includes a guide portion 25 integral to the second glass pane 24. The guide portion 25 extends beyond the first peripheral edge 22c of the first glass pane 22 to the peripheral edge 24c of the second glass pane 24. The guide portion 25 includes a protruding length PL with the guide portion 25 extending beyond the first peripheral edge 22c of the first glass pane 22 by the protruding length PL. Said differently, the second glass pane 24 extends further along the longitudinal direction of the window assembly 10 than the first glass pane 22 by the protruding length. In this configuration, the protruding length PL represents the distance between the peripheral edge 22c or 24c of the first and second glass panes 22 or 24, respectively. Further, the first glass pane 22 may also include a protruding length PL’ . In configurations where the protruding length of the first glass pane 22 and the protruding length of the second glass pane 24 are different, the protruding length PL’ relates to the first glass pane 22 and the protruding length PL relates to the second glass pane 24. In the configurations shown, the second glass pane 24 extends further along the longitudinal direction than the first glass pane 22. The guide portion 25 including protruding length PL will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0017] The decorative member 20 and the window 14 are spaced from each other (best shown in FIG. 5) to define a gap 28. The peripherical edge 22c of the first glass pane 22 faces towards and is spaced from the peripheral edge 20c of the decorative member 20 to define the gap 28 therebetween. The second glass pane 24 extends beyond the gap 28 in the longitudinal direction. The decorative member 20 and the second glass pane 24 are generally parallel to and spaced from each other. More specifically, the interior surface 20c of the decorative member 20 is facing towards and is parallel to a portion of the exterior surface 24b of the second glass pane 24. As shown, the peripheral edge 24c of the second glass pane extends beyond the peripheral edge 20c of the decorative member 20.

[0018] As shown throughout the Figures, the seal or sealing profile 16 is provided. The sealing profile 16 is configured to guide the window 14 along a direction of movement between the open position and the closed position. The sealing profile 16 is arranged to engage the decorative member 20 and/or the window 14 and configured to couple to a seal support 40 mounted to the decorative member 20. It will be further appreciated that the seal support 40 may be mounted to the decorative member 20 in any suitable manner. According to one configuration, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sealing profile 16 is coupled to the frame 40 of the vehicle. According to another configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, the sealing profile 16 is coupled to a seal support 40, different from the frame of the vehicle. In this configuration, the seal support 40 may be a thermoplastic component configured to couple to the seal to provide support. It is contemplated that the seal support 40 may be the frame of a vehicle or any other component mounted to the decorative member 20 to provide support to the seal.

[0019] The sealing profile 16 may be formed of a generally U-shape including an outer branch 30 and an inner branch 32 each extending in a longitudinal direction and are connected to one another by a base 34 forming the core of the U. The base 34 is positioned adjacent the seal support 40. The base 34 extends in a plane substantially perpendicularly to a common plane CP As best in FIG. 5, the common plane CP extends along the longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle. Although the common plane CP may appear to be a substantially flat plane, other configurations are contemplated. For example, the common plane CP may be a curved plane. The outer and inner branches 30, 32 extend substantially perpendicular to the base 34 to form a channel 36. As shown, the outer branch 30 and the inner branch 32 extends from the base 34 to define the channel 36 as a U-shaped channel 36. Other configurations are contemplated. The channel 36 is configured to receive the second glass pane 24. The second glass pane 24 extends into the channel 36 with the guide portion 25 being at least partially disposed within the channel 36 to retain the movable window 14 with the window assembly 10 and to guide the movable window 14 during operation. The second glass pane 24 extends into the channel such that the peripheral edge 24c of the second glass pane 24 is spaced from and adjacent to the base 34 of the sealing profile 16. [0020] The base 34, the outer branch 30, and the inner branch 32 may include one or more retaining components 38 configured to abut and/or mount to any part of the window assembly and/or interior of the vehicle. For example, in the configurations shown, the inner branch 32 includes a retaining component 38 having a hook 38a extending from the inner branch 32 towards the seal support 40 to receive at least a portion of the seal support 40. The retaining component 38 of the inner branch 32 further has a protrusion 38b extending downwards towards a portion of the hook 38a. Further, the base 34 includes a retaining component 38 having a protrusion 38c extending downwards from a connection point between the inner branch 32 and base 34. The protrusion 38c is configured to abut the seal support 40. In the configurations shown, the base 34 and the inner branch 32 abut the seal support 40. It is contemplated that any portion of the base 34 and inner branch 32 may abut and/or mount the seal support 40.

[0021] The outer branch 30 is interposed between the decorative member 20 and the second glass pane 24. More specifically, the outer branch 30 is interposed such that the outer branch 30 abuts the exterior surface 24a of the second glass pane 24 with the abutment being continuous during operation of the movable window 14. In this respect, the outer branch 30 is adjacent the guide portion 25 of the second glass pane 24. Further, the outer branch 30 may also abut the interior surface 20b of the decorative member 20 with the abutment being continuous during operation of the movable window 14.

[0022] The sealing profile 16 includes at least one interior sealing lip or an inner sealing lip 42. The inner sealing lip 42 has an elongated shape extending from the inner branch 32 towards the exterior of the window 14. The inner sealing lip 42 abuts the interior surface 24b of the second glass pane 24. This abutment is continuous during operation of the movable window 14 to assist with the retainment and guiding of the movable window 14. Said differently, the inner sealing lip 42 abuts the interior surface 24b of the second glass pane 24 to maintain engagement between the sealing profile 16 and the second glass pane 24 of the window 14. In some configurations, the inner sealing lip 42 may be integrated with the inner branch 32. In other configurations, the inner sealing lip 42 may be separate from the inner branch 32 and configured to couple to the inner branch 32. It is contemplated that the inner sealing lip 42 may be formed and coated with any type of material. The inner sealing lip 42 may include any number of lips. For example, as shown, the inner sealing lip 42 includes a first inner sealing lip 42a and a second inner sealing lip 42b both extending from the inner branch 32. The first and second inner sealing lips 42a, 42b extends from the inner branch 32 towards the exterior of the vehicle. Each of the inner sealing lips 42a, 42b include a portion and/or surface configured to abut against a surface and/or an edge of the window 14. More specifically, as shown, a portion of each of the first and second inner sealing lips 42a, 42b abuts against the interior surface 24b of the second glass pane 24.

[0023] The sealing profile 16 further includes an exterior sealing lip or a sealing member 44 continuously formed with the outer branch 30. It is contemplated that the term exterior sealing lip 44 and the sealing member 44 may be interchangeable unless otherwise stated. The sealing member 44 may form any shape. For example, as best shown in FIG. 4, the sealing member 44 forms a triangular shape having an elongated portion 46 extending from an end of the outer branch 30, a slanted portion 48 extending downwards from the elongated portion 46, and a curved portion 50 extending from the slanted portion 48 to form the triangular shape. Other shapes are contemplated. The sealing member 44 maintains a continuous engagement between the decorative member 20 and the window 14. As shown, at least a portion of the slanted portion 48 abuts the peripheral edge 22c of the first glass pane 22 while a portion of the elongated portion 46 abuts the peripheral edge 20c of the decorative member 20. [0024] Extending from the outer branch 30 of the sealing profile 16, the sealing member 44 is disposed in the gap 28 to form a flush connection between the window 14, the sealing profile 16, and an exterior surface of the vehicle. More specifically, the sealing member 44 has an exposed surface 44a disposed on the common plane with the exterior surface 20a of the decorative member 20 and the exterior surface 22a of the first glass pane 22 to form the flush connection. The exposed surface 44a may be visible from an exterior of the vehicle. Further, the sealing member 44 is disposed within the gap 38 such that the sealing member 44 maintains a continuous engagement between the decorative member 20 and the window 14. The sealing member 44 is configured to abut against an edge of the window 14. It is contemplated that the sealing member 44 may be interposed between the window 14 and any part, element, or surface of the vehicle to form a flush connection. In some configurations, the sealing member 44 may be deformable. It is further contemplated that the sealing member 44 may be formed of any type of material.

[0025] Several embodiments have been discussed in the foregoing description. However, the embodiments discussed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosure to any particular form. The terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

[0026] The following examples are intended to illustrate the present disclosure and are not to be read in any way as limiting to the scope of the present disclosure.