[001]
The present
su
bject matter described herein, relates to
a
garnish and seal
assembly
in vehicles
,
and
, in particular, to
garnish and seal assembly with dou
ble
locking feature for ensuring ease and accurate assembly of the garnish on the
5
vehicle body.
M
ore particularly, the present subject matter relates to
a double
locking seal feature in the garnish and seal assembly to assemble the seal
accurately on the g
arnish, specifically, roof garnish and assembly of the garnish
and seal does not allow displacement of the seal from the garnish during mounting
of the garnish on the vehicle body.
10
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:
[002]
Vehicle garnish, specifically, roof garnish is m
ade of plastic material, such
as Polycarbonate (PC)
,
Acrylnitrile
-
butadiene
-
styrene
(ABS)
,
PU
,
etc
. Generally,
garnishes are made of combination of
ABS,
PC
+
ABS
, PU etc
. Vehicle garnishes
are added on the vehicle to enhanced aesthetic appearance and to give
some sporty
15
look to the vehicles. Garnishes can be mounted at several locations, such as front,
rear, side and roof portion of the vehicle. Garnishes are mounted on the vehicle
body by means of mounting, such as clip mounting and bolt mounting.
[003]
The garni
sh being a plastic part cannot be directly mounted on vehicle
exterior panel like body portions of the vehicle, such as roof and side body. Direct
20
mounting of the garnish on the vehicle exterior panel may create few problems
such as peeling off paint due t
o rubbing of plastic panel on the body panel and
generation of rattling noise between the garnish, specifically, roof garnish and the
body panels. In order to
overcome direct mounting of garnish on the vehicle
exterior panel, a rubber seal made of
thermopl
astic elastomers
(TPE) is provided
25
as a sub
-
assembly part between the garnish and the vehicle exterior panel. As
shown in fig. 1, the roof garnish 101 is mounted on the vehicle roof body panel
102 with a rubber seal as sub
-
assembly part. Referring the cros
s section AA of the
figure 1 in the figure 2, the roof garnish 101 is mounted on the side body panel
3
103 and the roof body panel 102 having a rubber seal 104 in between the garnish
101 and the body panels 103, 102. By providing the rubber seal in between t
he
roof garnish and the roof panel, the rubber seal avoids paint peeling off and
rattling noise problem.
[004]
Generally, the rubber seal 104 is manufactured by two processes, i.e.,
5
extrusion process and injection molding process. Further, each manufacturing
pr
ocess has its own merits
/
demerits
based upon which process selection is
finalized.
[005]
There is
f
unctional and
a
esthetic requirement of
g
arnish
and
s
eal
assembly
is
that in Roof Garnish sub
-
assembly
on vehicle roof panel
, the Seal should not
10
come out of the G
arnish throughout the length
. Referring to figure 3, the roof
garnish 101 is sealed throughout the length with the seal 104 as shown by the
encircle 105. If seal 104 remains in contact with the roof garnish 101, the roof
garnish and seal assembly
will rema
in together which will enable accurate
assembly
. Referring to figure 4, if the roof garnish 101 comes out from the seal
15
104 at any place along length of the roof garnish, it creates functional and
aesthetic issues, as shown by 106, with the roof garnish mo
unting on the vehicle
roof panel. Therefore, improper assembly of seal with garnish creates below
mentioned technical issues: (1)
Improper holding of Garnish seal with Roof
Gar
nish may deteriorate appearance; (2)
improper fitment of Roof Garnish
20
Ass
embl
y
on
the vehicle from operator’s end;
and
(3)
more
assembly time of roof
garnish on the vehicle
roof panel
.
[006]
In order to fix assembly of seal with the roof garnish, an undercut shape is
provided in the seal which interferes with the local area of the roof ga
rnish.
Referring
to fig. 5a and 5
b, the garnish 101 is assembled with the seal 104 having
25
‘U” shaped undercut with inner extended
ends 108 which fixed with walls 109 of
the garnish 101. The U shaped undercut with inner extended ends 108 can be
made by extr
usion process easily.
However it is not possible to make this shape
with undercut in the
injection molding
process of seal manufacturing.
4
[007]
However, if
i
njection
m
olding process is followed
to manufacture the seal
,
due to process constraints, it
is
difficul
t to achieve local interference
108,
which is
achieved by the U shaped undercut with extended ends in the extrusion process,
for holding Roof Garnish
and
Seal together
. Referring
to figure 6a and 6
b,
i
n the
seals manufactured by the injection molding proce
ss, a plurality of locking shapes
5
602
which is a male lugs
are provided at intermittent locations on the seal to get
engage with corresponding plurality of female grooves
6
01
provided on the
garnish.
But the intermittent locking of the seal and the garnis
h in Injection Molded Seal
does not provide required holding interference to the Seal due to limited contact between
the two parts. Thus
the technical
problem of Seal coming out or getting un
-
assemble
d
10
from Roof Garnish, is often faced with Injection Molde
d Seal
.
[008]
In order to
avoid
slipping of the seal from the roof garnish in the injection
molded seal,
a
roof garnish and
seal
assembly
is required which
avoids un
-
assembly of the seal from the roof garnish.
The
roof garnish and seal assembly
should be inexpen
sive, reliable, simple in manufacturing, and
can be implemented
15
on existing
roof garnishes.
T
here
fore, the
present invention provides a solution by
satisfying all the requirements which suited best for the automobile industry.
O
BJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[009]
T
h
e principal objective of the present invention is to
provide
a
roof garnish
and seal assembly for avoiding un
-
assembly of seal from the garnish.
20
[0010]
Another object of the present subject matter is to
provide
a
roof garnish
with a plurality of female grooves t
o receive a plurality of male lugs of the seal for
efficient assembly of the roof garnish and the seal.
[0011]
Another object of the present subject matter is to
provide
a
n
injection
molded seal with a plurality of male lugs which engaged with the plurality of
25
fe
male grooves of the roof garnish for efficient assembly.
[0012]
Yet another object of the present subject matter is to
provide double
locking feature in the roof garnish and seal assembly to avoid un
-
assembly of the
seal from the roof garnish.
5
[0013]
Yet another objec
t of the present subject matter is
to
provide a simple
,
effective,
and cost efficient
roof garnish and seal assembly to
avoid
un
-
assembly
of seal during mounting of the roof garnish on the vehicle roof panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0014]
The
subject matter d
isclosed herein relates to
a garnish and seal assembly
5
with double locking feature between a garnish and a seal for efficient mounting of
the garnish on vehicle body panel. The garnish and seal assembly has a garnish
and a seal. The garnish includes a base
portion and two outer walls which are
projecting away from the base portion to form a ‘U’ shape garnish. Further, the
garnish has a plurality of mounting boss provided at inner side to mount the
10
garnish on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Along edge o
f the outer walls of
the U shaped garnish, a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves are
provided. Further, a plurality of ribs provided at inner surface along U shaped
garnish at regular interval to strengthen the garnish. Each rib from the plura
lity of
ribs is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove near edge of both the
15
outer walls. A seal molded according to the garnish base surface which is to be
mounted on the vehicle body panel. The seal has a plurality of primary seal
locking m
ale lugs provided along length of the seal. The plurality of primary seal
locking male lugs is provided at edge of the seal corresponding to the primary
female grooves on the garnish. The plurality of male lugs of the seal engage with
20
the plurality of prim
ary seal locking female grooves of the garnish to mount the
seal into the garnish. Further, a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs
provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs on
the base surface of the seal. The
plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs
engage with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves to provide
25
double locking between the seal and the garnish.
The
primary seal locking female
grooves and the plurality of ribs along with the s
econdary seal locking female
groove manufactured during injection molding process. The secondary seal
locking female groove has more width than the primary seal locking female
grooves. The seal is injection molded seal. The plurality of primary seal lockin
g
30
6
male lugs has less height and width as compared to the plurality of secondary seal
locking male lugs. Engagement of the secondary male lug and the secondary
female grooves provides a double locking feature which avoids slipping/ un
-
assembly of seal from
the garnish during mounting of the garnish
.
[0015]
In order to further understand the characteristics and technical contents of
5
the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with
reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawi
ngs are illustrative
only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016]
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only
10
typical embodiments of
the present subject matter
and are therefo
re not to be
considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally
effective embodiments.
The detailed description is described with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left
-
most digit(s) of a reference n
umber
identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same
15
numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and
components. Some embodiments of system or methods in accordance with
embodiments of the present subject
matter are now described, by way of example,
and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which
:
[0017]
Fig.
1
illustrate
s
garnish and vehicle body panel, as general art;
20
[0018]
Fig.
2
i
llustrate
s
mounting of the garnish with seal on the vehicle roof
panel, as k
nown in the art;
[0019]
Fig. 3 illustrate fitment of the seal with the garnish as known in the art;
[0020]
Fig. 4 illustrates technical problem of un
-
assembly of seal from the garnish
as exist in the known art;
25
[0021]
Fig. 5a and 5b illustrate locking of seal with the garn
ish, where seal is
made from the extrusion process as known in the art;
7
[0022]
Fig. 6a and 6b illustrate locking of the seal and garnish assembly, where
seal is made from the injection molding process as known in the art;
[0023]
Fig. 7a, 7b, and 7c illustrates top, si
de and bottom view of the garnish and
seal assembly, respectively,
in accordance with an embodiment
of the present
subject matter;
5
[0024]
Fig. 8 illustrates structure of the garnish with secondary female grooves,
in
accordance with an embodiment
of the present s
ubject matter;
[0025]
Fig. 9 illustrates structure of the seal with secondary male lugs,
in
accordance with an embodiment
of the present subject matter;
and
[0026]
Fig.
10
illustrates
assembly of garnish and seal with secondary female
10
grooves and secondary male lugs,
i
n accordance with an embodiment
of the
present subject matter
.
[0027]
The
figures
depict embodiments of the
present subject matter
for
the
purposes of illustration only.
A person
skilled in the art will
easily
recognize from
the following description that alterna
tive embodiments of the structures and
15
methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles
of the disclosure described herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0028]
The
subject matter disclosed herein relates to
a
garnish
and seal assembly
with double locking feature between a garnish and a seal for efficient mounting of
20
the garnish on vehicle body panel. The garnish and seal assembly has a garnish
and a seal. The garnish includes a base portion and two outer walls which ar
e
projecting away from the base portion to form a ‘U’ shape garnish. Further, the
garnish has a plurality of mounting boss provided at inner side to mount the
garnish on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Along edge of the outer walls of
25
the U shaped gar
nish, a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves are
provided. Further, a plurality of ribs provided at inner surface along U shaped
garnish at regular interval to strengthen the garnish. Each rib from the plurality of
ribs is provided with a secon
dary seal locking female groove
near edge of
both the
8
outer walls
. A
seal molded according to the garnish
base surface which is to be
mounted on the vehicle body panel. The seal has
a plurality of primary seal
locking male lugs provided along length
of the
seal. The plurality of primary seal
locking male lugs is provided at edge of the seal corresponding to the primary
female grooves on the garnish. T
he plurality of male lugs
of the seal
engage with
5
the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves
of th
e garnish
to mount the
seal
into the garnish. Further, a
plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs
provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs on
the
base surface of the seal
.
T
he plurality of secondary seal locking m
ale lugs
engage with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves to provide
10
double locking between the seal
and the garnish
.
The
primary seal locking female
grooves and the plurality of ribs along with the secondary seal locking female
groove m
anufactured during injection
molding process. The
secondary seal
locking female groove has more width than the primary seal locking female
grooves
.
The seal
is injection molded seal.
T
he plurality of primary seal locking
15
male lugs
has
less
height and width
as compared to the
plurality of secondary seal
locking male lugs
.
Engagement of the secondary male lug and the secondary
female grooves provides a double locking feature which avoid
s
slipping/ un
-
assembly of seal from the garnish
during mounting of the ga
rnish.
[0029]
In another embodiment of the present subject matter, a
roof garnish
is
20
provided with a double locking feature to assemble a seal for efficient mounting
of garnish on the
vehicle
body panel. T
he roof garnish includes
a base portion and
two outer wall
s projecting away from the base portion to form a ‘U’ shape garnish
structure. The garnish has
a plurality of mounting boss provided to mount the
garnish on the vehicle body by means of bolts
.
Further, a
plurality of prima
ry seal
25
locking female grooves
pro
vided along both the outer walls at re
gular distance
from each other. The garnish has
a plurality of ribs at inner surface along U
shaped garnish at regular int
erval to strengthen the garnish. E
ach rib from the
plurality of ribs is provided with a secondar
y seal locking female groove at edge
of both the outer walls
to receive a seal
.
30
9
[0030]
In yet another embodiment of the present subject, a seal is provided in
between the garnish and the vehicle body panel. The seal has
base portion
with a
plurality of
c
utouts ac
cording to the garnish.
The seal has
a plurality of primary
seal locking male lugs
along length of the seal. T
he plurality of male lugs engage
s
with a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves
of the garnish to assemble
5
the seal into the g
arnish.
Fu
rther the seal has
a plurality of secondary seal locking
male lugs towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs on
base surface
of the seal. T
he plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs
engages
with the plurality of secondary
seal locking female grooves to provide double
locking between the seal
and the garnish.
10
[0031]
It
should
be
noted
that the description and figures merely illustrate the
principles of the present subject
matter
. It should be appreciated by those skilled
in the a
rt that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily
utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the
same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those
15
skilled in the art
that by devising various
assembly
that, although not explicitly
described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter
and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited
herein are principally intended e
xpressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the
reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the
20
concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be
construed as being without limitation to such speci
fically recited examples and
conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the
present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation,
together with further objects and advantages will be better understood f
rom the
25
following description when considered in connection with the accompanying
figures.
[0032]
These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be
described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be
noted that the d
escription merely illustrates the principles of the present subject
30
10
matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise
various
arrangements
that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the
principles of the p
resent subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0033]
Fig.
7a, 7b, and 7c illustrate structure of a garnish, in accordance
with an
embodiment
of the present subject matter. Referring to figure 7a, a top view of
5
garnish
and seal assembly
700 is shown wi
th a plurality of mounting bosses 701.
The garnish 700 is a roof garnish. The garnish 700 is mounted on the vehicle roof
panel. Generally, the roof garnish 700 is in U shape to enhance aesthetic
appearance of the vehicle.
Fig. 7b shows the side view of th
e garnish 702 with
seal 703. Fig. 7c shows the bottom view of the garnish and seal assembly 700.
10
The bottom view clearly shows the placement of the seal 703 on base of the
garnish 702.
[0034]
Fig. 8 illustrates structure of the garnish, in accordance with an
emb
odiment of the present subject matter. The garnish 800 has a base portion 801
and two outer walls 802. The two outer walls 802 are projecting away from the
15
base portion 801 to form a ‘U’ shape garnish 800. The garnish 800 has a plurality
of mounting boss 7
01, 803 at inner side of the U shaped garnish to mount the
garnish 800 on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Further, a plurality of primary
seal locking female grooves 804 are provided along edges of both the outer walls
802 of the garnish 800. The garn
ish 800 has a plurality of ribs 805 provided at
20
inner surface of U shaped garnish 800 at regular interval to strengthen the garnish
800. Further, on each rib from the plurality of ribs 805 is provided with a
secondary seal locking female groove 805a. A plu
rality of secondary seal locking
female groove 805a is provided on both the outer walls (802) of the garnish 800
for effective mounting of the seal.
25
[0035]
The plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 and the plurality
of ribs 805 along with the seco
ndary seal locking female grooves 805a are
manufactured during injection molding process of the garnish 800. The plurality
of primary seal locking female grooves 804 and the plurality of ribs 805 along
with the secondary seal locking female groove 805a spa
ced at a distance from
30
11
each other on distal edge of the two outer walls 802 of the garnish 800.
The
secondary seal locking female groove 805a has more width and depth as
compared to the primary seal locking female grooves 804 of the garnish.
In
another emb
odiment of the present subject matter, the secondary seal locking
female groove 805a can be provided throughout all the ribs 805 along the length
5
of the garnish. The secondary seal locking female grooves 805a can be provided
on the ribs 805 which come at t
he center of the garnish 800 for cost effectiveness.
Both features of the secondary seal locking female groove 805a are covered under
the present subject matter.
[0036]
F
ig. 9 illustrates the structure of the seal, in accordance with an
10
embodiment of the present
subject matter.
The seal 900 is an injection molded
seal which is molded according to shape and cutouts of the garnish 800. The
seal
900 is assembled with the garnish 800 along the length. The seal 900 act as a sub
-
assembly part which is mounted in betwe
en the
garnish 800 and the vehicle roof
panel. The seal 900 has several openings corresponding to mounting bosses 701
15
of the garnish 800. The seal 900 covers the complete base surface of the garnish
800. The seal
has a plurality of primary seal locking mal
e lugs 902 along length of
the seal 900 corresponding to female grooves 804 of the garnish 800. The
plurality of male lugs 902 engages with the plurality of primary seal locking
female grooves 804 of the garnish to primary assemble the seal 900 into the
20
ga
rnish 800.
[0037]
Further, the seal 900 has a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs
903 which is provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking
male lugs 902 on base surface 901 of the seal 900. The plurality of secondary seal
lock
ing male lugs 903 has more height as compared to plurality of primary seal
25
locking male lugs 902. Further, width of the
plurality of secondary seal locking
male lugs 903 is more than the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902.
The plurality of sec
ondary seal locking male lugs 903 engages with the plurality
of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a to provide double locking between
the seal 900 and the garnish 800. Engagement of the plurality of secondary seal
30
12
locking male lugs 903 with the plur
ality of secondary seal locking female grooves
805a fixes the seal
900
with the
garnish 800. The plurality of secondary seal
locking male lugs 903 is lateral spaced at inner side from the
plurality of primary
seal locking male lugs 902.
[0038]
Further, the plura
lity of ribs are chosen to provide the secondary female
5
grooves because the width of the ribs provide required width for the seal male
member which is not possible at two outer edges of the garnish. Therefore, a
plurality of ribs are chosen to have a secon
dary female groove with necessary
depth and width to fix the seal for mass production or assembly of roof garnish on
the vehicle roof panel.
10
[0039]
Fig. 10 illustrates assembly of the garnish 800 with the seal 900 with
double locking feature, in accordance with
an embodiment of the present subject
matter. The garnish 800 has a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves
804 and a plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a. On the other
hand, the seal 900 has a plurality of primary seal locking m
ale lugs 902 and a
15
plurality secondary seal locking male lugs 903. During assembly of garnish and
seal assembly 700, the plurality of male lugs 902 engages with the plurality of
primary seal locking female grooves 804 to mount the seal 900 into the garnish
800. Further, the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 of the seal 900
engages with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a of the
20
garnish 800 to provide double locking between the seal 900 and the garnish 800.
[0040]
The present
double locking feature is easy and fast to manufacture in
injection molded seal. Further, the present double locking feature can be provided
in the existing garnish designs without any change in the layout and machine
tooling.
Due to the double locking of
the seal with the garnish, mounting of the
25
roof garnish on the vehicle roof panel becomes efficient and fast. Further, the
present garnish and seal assembly
avoids any slippage or un
-
assembly of the seal
from the garnish which decreases the mounting time
of garnish on the vehicle and
increases the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle.
13
[0041]
T
he term “vehicle” as used throughout this detailed description and in the
claims refers to any moving vehicle that is capable of carrying one or more human
occupants and is p
owered by any
form of energy. The term “v
ehicle”
is a motor
vehicle which
includes, but is not limited to: car
s, trucks, vans, minivans,
hatchback, sedan, MUVs, and SUVs
.
5
[0042]
It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of
compone
nts or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the
functions or structures of one
-
step or component may be split among plural steps
or components. The present invention contemplates all of these combinations.
Unless stated otherwise, dime
nsions and geometries of the various structures
10
depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other
dimensions or geometries are possible. In addition, while a feature of the present
invention may have been described in the conte
xt of only one of the illustrated
embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of
other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the
15
above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and
the operation thereof
also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. The present
invention also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the
practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also
con
templates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited
20
feature
.
[0043]
Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been
described
in
language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the
present
subject ma
tter
is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather,
the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present
25
subject matter.
Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system
/
component
of the present inventi
on will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is
intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations
which fall within
the
scope of
the present subject matter

Claims:We claim:
1. A garnish and seal assembly (700) with double locking between a garnish (800) and a seal (900) for mounting of the garnish (702, 800) on vehicle body panel, the garish and seal assembly comprising:
the garnish (800) including a base portion (801) and two outer walls (802) projecting away from the base portion (801) to form a ‘U’ shape garnish (800); the garnish (800) comprising:
a plurality of mounting boss (701, 803) provided to mount the garnish (800) on the vehicle body by means of bolts;
a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves (804) provided along both the outer walls (802);
a plurality of ribs (805) provided at inner surface along U shaped garnish (800) at regular interval to strengthen the garnish (800);
each rib from the plurality of ribs (805) is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove (805a) at both the outer walls (802);
the seal (900) molded according to the garnish (800), the seal (900) comprising:
a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs (902) provided along length of the seal (900), wherein the plurality of male lugs (902) engage with the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves (804) to mount the seal (900) into the garnish (800);
a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903) provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs (902) on base surface (901) of the seal (900), wherein the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903) engage with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves (805a) to provide double locking between the seal (900) and the garnish (800).

2. The garnish and seal assembly (700) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves (804) and the plurality of ribs (805) along with the secondary seal locking female groove (805a) manufactured during injection molding process.

3. The garnish and seal assembly (700) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves (804) and the plurality of ribs (805) along with the secondary seal locking female groove (805a) spaced at a distance from each other on distal edge of the two outer walls (802) of the garnish (800).

4. The garnish and seal assembly (700) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondary seal locking female groove (805a) has more width than the primary seal locking female grooves (804).

5. The garnish and seal assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seal (900) is injection molded seal.

6. The garnish and seal assembly (700) as claimed in claim 1, wherein height and thickness of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs (902) is less than the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903).

7. The garnish and seal assembly (700) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs is laterally spaced from the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903).

8. A roof garnish (800) for a vehicle, the roof garnish comprising:
a base portion (801) and two outer walls (802) projecting away from the base portion (801) to form a ‘U’ shape garnish (800);
a plurality of mounting boss (701, 803) provided to mount the garnish (800) on the vehicle body by means of bolts;
a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves (804) provided along both the outer walls (802) at regular distance from each other;
a plurality of ribs (805) provided at inner surface along U shaped garnish (800) at regular interval to strengthen the garnish (800); and
each rib from the plurality of ribs (805) is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove (805a) at edge of both the outer walls (802) to receive a seal (900).

9. A seal (900) to be assembled with a garnish (800), the seal (900) comprising:
a base portion (901) having cutouts according to the garnish (800);
a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs (902) provided along length of the seal (900), wherein the plurality of male lugs (902) engage with a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves (804) of the garnish (800) to assemble the seal (900) into the garnish (800);
a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903) provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs (902) on base surface (901) of the seal (900), wherein the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903) engage with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves (805a) to provide double locking between the seal (900) and the garnish (800).

10. The seal (900) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs (903) lateral spaced at inner side from the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs (902).
, Description:GARNISH AND SEAL ASSEMBLY WITH DOUBLE LOCKING
FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to a garnish and seal assembly in vehicles, and, in particular, to garnish and seal assembly with double locking feature for ensuring ease and accurate assembly of the garnish on the vehicle body. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to a double locking seal feature in the garnish and seal assembly to assemble the seal accurately on the garnish, specifically, roof garnish and assembly of the garnish and seal does not allow displacement of the seal from the garnish during mounting of the garnish on the vehicle body.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:
[002] Vehicle garnish, specifically, roof garnish is made of plastic material, such as Polycarbonate (PC), Acrylnitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), PU, etc. Generally, garnishes are made of combination of ABS, PC+ABS, PU etc. Vehicle garnishes are added on the vehicle to enhanced aesthetic appearance and to give some sporty look to the vehicles. Garnishes can be mounted at several locations, such as front, rear, side and roof portion of the vehicle. Garnishes are mounted on the vehicle body by means of mounting, such as clip mounting and bolt mounting.
[003] The garnish being a plastic part cannot be directly mounted on vehicle exterior panel like body portions of the vehicle, such as roof and side body. Direct mounting of the garnish on the vehicle exterior panel may create few problems such as peeling off paint due to rubbing of plastic panel on the body panel and generation of rattling noise between the garnish, specifically, roof garnish and the body panels. In order to overcome direct mounting of garnish on the vehicle exterior panel, a rubber seal made of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) is provided as a sub-assembly part between the garnish and the vehicle exterior panel. As shown in fig. 1, the roof garnish 101 is mounted on the vehicle roof body panel 102 with a rubber seal as sub-assembly part. Referring the cross section AA of the figure 1 in the figure 2, the roof garnish 101 is mounted on the side body panel 103 and the roof body panel 102 having a rubber seal 104 in between the garnish 101 and the body panels 103, 102. By providing the rubber seal in between the roof garnish and the roof panel, the rubber seal avoids paint peeling off and rattling noise problem.
[004] Generally, the rubber seal 104 is manufactured by two processes, i.e., extrusion process and injection molding process. Further, each manufacturing process has its own merits/demerits based upon which process selection is finalized.
[005] There is functional and aesthetic requirement of garnish and seal assembly is that in Roof Garnish sub-assembly on vehicle roof panel, the Seal should not come out of the Garnish throughout the length. Referring to figure 3, the roof garnish 101 is sealed throughout the length with the seal 104 as shown by the encircle 105. If seal 104 remains in contact with the roof garnish 101, the roof garnish and seal assembly will remain together which will enable accurate assembly. Referring to figure 4, if the roof garnish 101 comes out from the seal 104 at any place along length of the roof garnish, it creates functional and aesthetic issues, as shown by 106, with the roof garnish mounting on the vehicle roof panel. Therefore, improper assembly of seal with garnish creates below mentioned technical issues: (1) Improper holding of Garnish seal with Roof Garnish may deteriorate appearance; (2) improper fitment of Roof Garnish Assembly on the vehicle from operator’s end; and (3) more assembly time of roof garnish on the vehicle roof panel.
[006] In order to fix assembly of seal with the roof garnish, an undercut shape is provided in the seal which interferes with the local area of the roof garnish. Referring to fig. 5a and 5b, the garnish 101 is assembled with the seal 104 having ‘U” shaped undercut with inner extended ends 108 which fixed with walls 109 of the garnish 101. The U shaped undercut with inner extended ends 108 can be made by extrusion process easily. However it is not possible to make this shape with undercut in the injection molding process of seal manufacturing.
[007] However, if injection molding process is followed to manufacture the seal, due to process constraints, it is difficult to achieve local interference 108, which is achieved by the U shaped undercut with extended ends in the extrusion process, for holding Roof Garnish and Seal together. Referring to figure 6a and 6b, in the seals manufactured by the injection molding process, a plurality of locking shapes 602 which is a male lugs are provided at intermittent locations on the seal to get engage with corresponding plurality of female grooves 601 provided on the garnish. But the intermittent locking of the seal and the garnish in Injection Molded Seal does not provide required holding interference to the Seal due to limited contact between the two parts. Thus the technical problem of Seal coming out or getting un-assembled from Roof Garnish, is often faced with Injection Molded Seal.
[008] In order to avoid slipping of the seal from the roof garnish in the injection molded seal, a roof garnish and seal assembly is required which avoids un-assembly of the seal from the roof garnish. The roof garnish and seal assembly should be inexpensive, reliable, simple in manufacturing, and can be implemented on existing roof garnishes. Therefore, the present invention provides a solution by satisfying all the requirements which suited best for the automobile industry.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[009] The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a roof garnish and seal assembly for avoiding un-assembly of seal from the garnish.
[0010] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a roof garnish with a plurality of female grooves to receive a plurality of male lugs of the seal for efficient assembly of the roof garnish and the seal.
[0011] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide an injection molded seal with a plurality of male lugs which engaged with the plurality of female grooves of the roof garnish for efficient assembly.
[0012] Yet another object of the present subject matter is to provide double locking feature in the roof garnish and seal assembly to avoid un-assembly of the seal from the roof garnish.
[0013] Yet another object of the present subject matter is to provide a simple, effective, and cost efficient roof garnish and seal assembly to avoid un-assembly of seal during mounting of the roof garnish on the vehicle roof panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0014] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a garnish and seal assembly with double locking feature between a garnish and a seal for efficient mounting of the garnish on vehicle body panel. The garnish and seal assembly has a garnish and a seal. The garnish includes a base portion and two outer walls which are projecting away from the base portion to form a ‘U’ shape garnish. Further, the garnish has a plurality of mounting boss provided at inner side to mount the garnish on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Along edge of the outer walls of the U shaped garnish, a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves are provided. Further, a plurality of ribs provided at inner surface along U shaped garnish at regular interval to strengthen the garnish. Each rib from the plurality of ribs is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove near edge of both the outer walls. A seal molded according to the garnish base surface which is to be mounted on the vehicle body panel. The seal has a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs provided along length of the seal. The plurality of primary seal locking male lugs is provided at edge of the seal corresponding to the primary female grooves on the garnish. The plurality of male lugs of the seal engage with the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves of the garnish to mount the seal into the garnish. Further, a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs on the base surface of the seal. The plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs engage with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves to provide double locking between the seal and the garnish. The primary seal locking female grooves and the plurality of ribs along with the secondary seal locking female groove manufactured during injection molding process. The secondary seal locking female groove has more width than the primary seal locking female grooves. The seal is injection molded seal. The plurality of primary seal locking male lugs has less height and width as compared to the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs. Engagement of the secondary male lug and the secondary female grooves provides a double locking feature which avoids slipping/ un-assembly of seal from the garnish during mounting of the garnish.
[0015] In order to further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0017] Fig. 1 illustrates garnish and vehicle body panel, as general art;
[0018] Fig. 2 illustrates mounting of the garnish with seal on the vehicle roof panel, as known in the art;
[0019] Fig. 3 illustrate fitment of the seal with the garnish as known in the art;
[0020] Fig. 4 illustrates technical problem of un-assembly of seal from the garnish as exist in the known art;
[0021] Fig. 5a and 5b illustrate locking of seal with the garnish, where seal is made from the extrusion process as known in the art;
[0022] Fig. 6a and 6b illustrate locking of the seal and garnish assembly, where seal is made from the injection molding process as known in the art;
[0023] Fig. 7a, 7b, and 7c illustrates top, side and bottom view of the garnish and seal assembly, respectively, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0024] Fig. 8 illustrates structure of the garnish with secondary female grooves, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0025] Fig. 9 illustrates structure of the seal with secondary male lugs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter; and
[0026] Fig. 10 illustrates assembly of garnish and seal with secondary female grooves and secondary male lugs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0027] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0028] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a garnish and seal assembly with double locking feature between a garnish and a seal for efficient mounting of the garnish on vehicle body panel. The garnish and seal assembly has a garnish and a seal. The garnish includes a base portion and two outer walls which are projecting away from the base portion to form a ‘U’ shape garnish. Further, the garnish has a plurality of mounting boss provided at inner side to mount the garnish on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Along edge of the outer walls of the U shaped garnish, a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves are provided. Further, a plurality of ribs provided at inner surface along U shaped garnish at regular interval to strengthen the garnish. Each rib from the plurality of ribs is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove near edge of both the outer walls. A seal molded according to the garnish base surface which is to be mounted on the vehicle body panel. The seal has a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs provided along length of the seal. The plurality of primary seal locking male lugs is provided at edge of the seal corresponding to the primary female grooves on the garnish. The plurality of male lugs of the seal engage with the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves of the garnish to mount the seal into the garnish. Further, a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs on the base surface of the seal. The plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs engage with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves to provide double locking between the seal and the garnish. The primary seal locking female grooves and the plurality of ribs along with the secondary seal locking female groove manufactured during injection molding process. The secondary seal locking female groove has more width than the primary seal locking female grooves. The seal is injection molded seal. The plurality of primary seal locking male lugs has less height and width as compared to the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs. Engagement of the secondary male lug and the secondary female grooves provides a double locking feature which avoids slipping/ un-assembly of seal from the garnish during mounting of the garnish.
[0029] In another embodiment of the present subject matter, a roof garnish is provided with a double locking feature to assemble a seal for efficient mounting of garnish on the vehicle body panel. The roof garnish includes a base portion and two outer walls projecting away from the base portion to form a ‘U’ shape garnish structure. The garnish has a plurality of mounting boss provided to mount the garnish on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Further, a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves provided along both the outer walls at regular distance from each other. The garnish has a plurality of ribs at inner surface along U shaped garnish at regular interval to strengthen the garnish. Each rib from the plurality of ribs is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove at edge of both the outer walls to receive a seal.
[0030] In yet another embodiment of the present subject, a seal is provided in between the garnish and the vehicle body panel. The seal has base portion with a plurality of cutouts according to the garnish. The seal has a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs along length of the seal. The plurality of male lugs engages with a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves of the garnish to assemble the seal into the garnish. Further the seal has a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs on base surface of the seal. The plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs engages with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves to provide double locking between the seal and the garnish.
[0031] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that by devising various assembly that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
[0032] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0033] Fig. 7a, 7b, and 7c illustrate structure of a garnish, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. Referring to figure 7a, a top view of garnish and seal assembly 700 is shown with a plurality of mounting bosses 701. The garnish 700 is a roof garnish. The garnish 700 is mounted on the vehicle roof panel. Generally, the roof garnish 700 is in U shape to enhance aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. Fig. 7b shows the side view of the garnish 702 with seal 703. Fig. 7c shows the bottom view of the garnish and seal assembly 700. The bottom view clearly shows the placement of the seal 703 on base of the garnish 702.
[0034] Fig. 8 illustrates structure of the garnish, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The garnish 800 has a base portion 801 and two outer walls 802. The two outer walls 802 are projecting away from the base portion 801 to form a ‘U’ shape garnish 800. The garnish 800 has a plurality of mounting boss 701, 803 at inner side of the U shaped garnish to mount the garnish 800 on the vehicle body by means of bolts. Further, a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 are provided along edges of both the outer walls 802 of the garnish 800. The garnish 800 has a plurality of ribs 805 provided at inner surface of U shaped garnish 800 at regular interval to strengthen the garnish 800. Further, on each rib from the plurality of ribs 805 is provided with a secondary seal locking female groove 805a. A plurality of secondary seal locking female groove 805a is provided on both the outer walls (802) of the garnish 800 for effective mounting of the seal.
[0035] The plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 and the plurality of ribs 805 along with the secondary seal locking female grooves 805a are manufactured during injection molding process of the garnish 800. The plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 and the plurality of ribs 805 along with the secondary seal locking female groove 805a spaced at a distance from each other on distal edge of the two outer walls 802 of the garnish 800. The secondary seal locking female groove 805a has more width and depth as compared to the primary seal locking female grooves 804 of the garnish. In another embodiment of the present subject matter, the secondary seal locking female groove 805a can be provided throughout all the ribs 805 along the length of the garnish. The secondary seal locking female grooves 805a can be provided on the ribs 805 which come at the center of the garnish 800 for cost effectiveness. Both features of the secondary seal locking female groove 805a are covered under the present subject matter.
[0036] Fig. 9 illustrates the structure of the seal, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The seal 900 is an injection molded seal which is molded according to shape and cutouts of the garnish 800. The seal 900 is assembled with the garnish 800 along the length. The seal 900 act as a sub-assembly part which is mounted in between the garnish 800 and the vehicle roof panel. The seal 900 has several openings corresponding to mounting bosses 701 of the garnish 800. The seal 900 covers the complete base surface of the garnish 800. The seal has a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902 along length of the seal 900 corresponding to female grooves 804 of the garnish 800. The plurality of male lugs 902 engages with the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 of the garnish to primary assemble the seal 900 into the garnish 800.
[0037] Further, the seal 900 has a plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 which is provided towards inner side of the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902 on base surface 901 of the seal 900. The plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 has more height as compared to plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902. Further, width of the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 is more than the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902. The plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 engages with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a to provide double locking between the seal 900 and the garnish 800. Engagement of the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a fixes the seal 900 with the garnish 800. The plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 is lateral spaced at inner side from the plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902.
[0038] Further, the plurality of ribs are chosen to provide the secondary female grooves because the width of the ribs provide required width for the seal male member which is not possible at two outer edges of the garnish. Therefore, a plurality of ribs are chosen to have a secondary female groove with necessary depth and width to fix the seal for mass production or assembly of roof garnish on the vehicle roof panel.
[0039] Fig. 10 illustrates assembly of the garnish 800 with the seal 900 with double locking feature, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The garnish 800 has a plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 and a plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a. On the other hand, the seal 900 has a plurality of primary seal locking male lugs 902 and a plurality secondary seal locking male lugs 903. During assembly of garnish and seal assembly 700, the plurality of male lugs 902 engages with the plurality of primary seal locking female grooves 804 to mount the seal 900 into the garnish 800. Further, the plurality of secondary seal locking male lugs 903 of the seal 900 engages with the plurality of secondary seal locking female grooves 805a of the garnish 800 to provide double locking between the seal 900 and the garnish 800.
[0040] The present double locking feature is easy and fast to manufacture in injection molded seal. Further, the present double locking feature can be provided in the existing garnish designs without any change in the layout and machine tooling. Due to the double locking of the seal with the garnish, mounting of the roof garnish on the vehicle roof panel becomes efficient and fast. Further, the present garnish and seal assembly avoids any slippage or un-assembly of the seal from the garnish which decreases the mounting time of garnish on the vehicle and increases the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle.
[0041] The term “vehicle” as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims refers to any moving vehicle that is capable of carrying one or more human occupants and is powered by any form of energy. The term “vehicle” is a motor vehicle which includes, but is not limited to: cars, trucks, vans, minivans, hatchback, sedan, MUVs, and SUVs.
[0042] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present invention contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the invention, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. In addition, while a feature of the present invention may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present invention. The present invention also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature.
[0043] Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/component of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter.