WO2001047681A1 - Method and apparatus for providing a peripheral seal for the housing of a vehicle door handle assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a peripheral seal (26) for the housing (12) of a motor vehicle door handle assembly (10). The seal is provided in an injection molding process performed offline with respect to the main assembly line of the door handle assembly (10) and a plurality of parallel offline molding modules are provided so that the combined output of the molding modules may equal the speed of the main line. Since no separate attachment devices are required on the seal (26) to facilitate attachment of the seal (26) to the handle (14), the material costs are reduced. since the formation of the seal (26) is totally automated and at speed equaling the speed of the main line, the labor cost is also reduced.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A PEROPHERAL SEAL FOR THE HOUSING OF A VEHICLE DOOR HANDLE ASSEMBLY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to door handle assemblies and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a seal for a motor vehicle door handle assembly

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5 Motor vehicle door handle assemblies are typically positioned in an opening in the outer skin of the vehicle door and, as such, present an entry point for moisture, contaminants, etc which, over time, can have a destructive effect with respect to the interior of the door In order to avoid the entry of water and contaminants the housing of a typical motor vehicle 0 door handle assembly is provided with a peripheral seal which seats against the periphery of the opening in the door skin to preclude the entry of contaminants into the interior of the door Typically, the seal comprises a separate resilient member which is suitably attached to a rear peripheral face of the housing by various fastening methodologies Although these 5 seals typically are effective in precluding the entry of contaminants into the interior of the door, they are expensive from both a materials and labor standpoint Specifically, the seals, together with the attachment means, tend to be complicated structures which are expensive to produce and which require not only an amount of material necessary to provide the actual seal 0 but also an amount of material necessary to provide the attachment means Further, the attachment of these separate seals to the housing is labor intensive

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to the provision of an improved motor 5 vehicle door handle assembly

More particularly, this invention is directed to the provision of a motor vehicle door handle assembly embodying an improved method and apparatus for providing the seal for the handle housing According to the invention methodology the housing of the handle assembly is positioned in a mold nest with the peripheral seal area on the housing exposed, a mold is positioned over the mold nest with a peripheral cavity defined by the mold and conforming to the peripheral seal area of the housing positioned over the seal area, a flowable resin material is injected into the cavity so as to deliver resin material through the cavity to the entire peripheral seal area of the housing, the resin is allowed to cure, the mold is removed from the mold nest, and the housing is removed from the mold nest This methodology minimizes both the time and materials required to form the seal

According to a further feature of the invention methodology, the moid nest is mounted for movement along a molding line path from a load station to a mold station to unload station the housing is loaded into the mold nest at the load station whereafter the mold nest is moved to the mold station, the mold is located at the mold station and is positioned over the mold nest and thereafter, following the resin injection and curing, removed from the mold nest while the mold nest is positioned at the mold station, and the mold nest is thereafter moved to the unload station where the housing is removed from the mold nest This methodology allows the seals to be formed on the housings on a production line basis, thereby further reducing the cost of providing the seal

According to a further feature of the invention a main line nest is movable along a main assembly line path from a start station to an offload station to a reload station to a finish station, the mold line path is offline with respect to the main line path and proximate the main line offload and reload stations, the main line nest with housing is moved along the main line path from the start station to the offload station whereafter the housing is removed from the main line nest and positioned in the mold nest at the load station, whereafter the mold nest with housing is moved to the mold station and thereafter to the unload station whereafter the housing is removed from the mold nest and moved to the main line reload station from where it is moved along the main line path to the finish station The provision of a main line assembly path in combination with an offline molding path further facilitates the inexpensive mass production of the seals

According to a further feature of the invention, a plurality of parallel mold lines paths are provided proximate the offload and reload stations and each includes a load station, a mold station, and an unload station successive housings arriving at the offload station on the main line path in successive mold line nests are moved to respective mold line paths for movement along the respective mold line path from the load station to the mold station to the unload station, and housings arriving at the unload station of a respective molding line path are moved to the main line reload station

According to a further feature of the invention methodology, a separate mold is positioned at the mold station of each molding line path for coaction with a nest and housing arriving at the mold station of the respective molding line path, and resin is delivered to the respective molds by a common injection nozzle assembly which is mounted for movement between the molds of the respective molding line paths The provision of a common injection nozzle assembly serving all of the molding line paths reduces the costs and complexity of the apparatus without any sacrifice in overall speed of the apparatus

According to a further feature of the invention methodology, the molding line paths are positioned parallel to the main line path, first second and third parallel tracks extend generally normal to the main line path, the first track extends from the main line offload station and proximate the loading stations of successive molding line paths the second track extends from the main line reload station and proximate the unload stations of successive molding line paths, the third track extends proximate the molding stations of successive molding line paths, first and second gπpper mechanisms are mounted for movement along the first and second tracks respectively, an injection nozzle assembly is mounted for movement along the third track a supply of neated resin is delivered to the injection nozzle assembly, the first gπpper mechanism is operative to move a housing from the main line offload station to the load station of a respective molding line path, the second gπpper mechanism is operative to move a housing from the unload station of a respective molding line path to the main line reload station and the injection nozzle assembly is moved on the third track selectively between the molding stations of the respective molding line paths to deliver resin selectively to the molds of the respective molding line paths This specific methodology optimizes the efficient mass production of the seals on the housing

According to a feature of the invention apparatus, the apparatus comprises a mold nest sized to receive the housing with the closed loop peripheral seal area exposed a mold positioned over the mold nest and defining a closed loop peripheral cavity conforming to the closed loop peripheral seal area of the housing, means operative to move the mold from a rest position removed from the nest to a molding position in which the closed loop peripheral cavity overlies and coincides with the closed loop peripheral seal area of the housing, and an injection means operative to inject a flowable resin material into the cavity so as to deliver resin material through the cavity to the entire peripheral seal area of the housing This arrangement allows the production of a peripheral seal on the housing with a minimum of material costs and labor costs

According to a further feature of the invention apparatus, the apparatus further includes a driver operative to move the mold nest along a molding line path from a load station to a mold station to unload station, and the mold is located at the mold station and is movable from the rest position to the molding position upon the arrival of a nest carrying a housing at the mold station This arrangement further facilitates the mass production of the seal According to a further feature of the invention apparatus, the apparatus further includes a main line nest movable along a main assembly line path from a start station to an offload station to a reload station to a finish station, the mold line path is offline with respect to the main line path and proximate the main line offload and reload stations; the apparatus further includes offload transfer means operative to remove the housing from the main line at the offload station and transfer it to a mold nest at the load station, whereafter the mold nest with housing is moved by the driver to the mold station and thereafter to the unload station, and the apparatus further includes reload transfer means operative to remove the housing from the mold nest at the unload station and transfer it to the main line reload station from where it is moved along the main line path to the finish station

Performing the molding operation offline with respect to the main assembly line further expedites the inexpensive provision of the seal on the housing

According to a further feature of the invention apparatus a plurality of parallel mold line paths are provided proximate the offload and reload stations and each includes a mold nest, a load station, a mold station, an unload station, and a driver, the offline transfer means is operative to move successive housings arriving at the offload station on the main line path in successive main line nests to respective mold line paths for movement by the respective driver along the respective molding line path from the load station to the mold station to the unload station, and the reload transfer means is operative to move housings arriving at the unload station of a respective molding line path to the main line reload station The provision of a plurality of offline molding paths in cooperation with a single main assembly line further facilitates the inexpensive provision of the seals on the housing

According to a further feature of the invention apparatus, a separate mold is located at the mold station of each molding line path for coaction with a nest and housing arriving at the mold station of the respective molding line paths, and the injection means comprises a common injection nozzle assembly which is mounted for movement between the molds of the respective molding line paths This arrangement allows a single injection nozzle assembly to service a plurality of molding lines

According to a further feature of the invention apparatus, the molding line paths are positioned parallel to the main line paths, the offload transfer means comprises an offload track extending from the main line offload station and proximate the loading stations of successive molding line paths and an offload gπpper assembly mounted for movement along the offload track and operative to grip a housing at the offload station and transfer it to a load station of a respective molding line path; the reload transfer means comprises a reload track extending from the main line reload station and proximate the unload stations of successive molding line paths and a reload gripper assembly mounted for movement along the reload track and operative to grip a housing at the unload station of the respective molding line path and transfer it to the reload station, the apparatus further includes an injection track extending proximate the molding stations of successive molding line paths and a source of heated resin, and the injection nozzle assembly is mounted for movement along the injection track and is connected to resin source With this arrangement the injection nozzle assembly may be moved on the injection track selectively between the molding stations of the respective molding line paths to deliver resin selectively to the molds of the respective molding line paths and the housings are selectively delivered to the respective molding line paths and selectively removed from the respective molding paths for reloading on the main line BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a motor vehicle handle assembly which is amenable to the method and apparatus of the invention, Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the handle assembly, Figure 3 is a schematic view of an assembly line for forming a motor vehicle door handle assembly, Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary perspective views of a seal molding assembly forming a part of the handle assembly line,

Figure 6 is an end view of the seal molding assembly, Figure 7 is a perspective view of a molding line module forming a part of the seal molding assembly,

Figure 8 is an end view of the molding line module, Figure 9 is a plan view of a mold and nest forming a part of each molding line moduie,

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 10-10 of Figure 9,

Figure 1 1 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view showing the positioning of a handle housing in a nest of the main assembly line,

Figure 12 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the handle assemblies are transferred from the main assembly line to a molding line module,

Figure 13 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a main assembly line nest,

Figure 14 is an inverted fragmentary, perspective view of a mold utilized in a molding line module, and Figure 15 is a schematic view of a conveyor unit forming a part of the main assembly line

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The method and apparatus of the invention will be understood to be specifically designed to provide a peripheral seal for the housing of a typical door handle assembly such as the handle assembly seen at 10 in Figures 1 and 2

Handle assembly 10 includes an escutcheon or housing 12, a handle 14, a bell crank 16, a spring 22 a drive pin 23, a pivot pin 24, and a seal 26 Housing 12 has an oval configuration and includes a main body concave portion 12a, a peripheral flange portion 12b defining a closed loop peripheral seal area 12c, a pivot portion 12d, a guide portion 12e extending inwardly from a rear face 12f of main body portion 12a, and a pair of spaced pillars 12g extending inwardly from surface 12e

Handle 14 has an elongated configuration and includes a main body grip portion 14a and an arm portion 14b extending inwardly from one end of the grip portion The other end of the grip portion is pivotally mounted in housing pivot portion 12d, the grip portion overlies the main body bowl portion 12a of the housing, and the arm 14b extends through guide portion 12e to position a free end 14c of the arm rearwardly of the rear face 12f of the housing

Bell crank 16 is mounted on pivot pin 24 which in turn is fixedly secured to spaced housing pillars 12g One free end 16a of the bell crank is adapted to be secured to a suitable linkage 27 for connection to the latch of the motor vehicle door and another free end 16b of the bell crank carries drive pin 23 which is received in an aperture in the inner end 14c of handle arm 14b so that pivotal opening movement of the handle 14 has the effect of pivoting bell crank 16 about the axis of pivot pin 24 to generate an unlatching action with respect to the latch of the motor vehicle

Spring 22 is positioned on pivot pin 24 and acts in known manner to resist the opening movement of the door handle assembly and return the handle to its rest position upon release of the handle

Seal 26 is coextensive with housing seal surface 12c and coacts with a suitable opening in the outer skin of the door of the vehicle to preclude the entry of contaminants into the interior of the door Handle assembly 10 is produced on an assembly line 28 (Figure

3) Assembly line 28 includes a plurality of separate endless conveyor units 30 arranged eπd-to-end to form a rectangular closed loop pattern, a plurality of nests 32 positioned in spaced relation on the conveyor units 30 and driven around the closed loop by the succession of conveyor units 30, a handle loading station 34, a housing loading station 36, a seal molding station 38 including an offload station 40 and a reload station 42, accessory component assembly stations 44, 46, 48 and 50, and an unload station 52 Each conveyor unit 30 (Figure 11 ) comprises a pair of parallel endless belts 53 suitably guided for endless movement and a motor 54 driving the belts and controlled by a programmable logic controller 55

The upper face 32a of each nest 32 is hollowed out (Figure 13) to nestiπgly receive a handle 14 and a housing 12 Specifically, the hollow formed in the upper face 32a of each nest comprises a closed loop peripheral surface 32b, a central concavity 32c within surface 32b, and an elongated concavity 32d within surface 32c

In the overall operation of assembly line 28 (Figures 3, 11 and 12), a handle 12 is positioned in the central concavity 32d of a nest 32 positioned at loading station 34 with the handle in an upside-down or inverted position, the nest is thereafter moved in the direction of the arrows around the closed loop assembly line to the housing loading station 36 where a housing 12 is positioned in the hollow of the nest in inverted fashion with flange portion 12b positioned in overlying contiguous relation to surface 32b, housing closed loop seal surface 12c exposed and facing upwardly, and handle arm portion 14b extending upwardly through housing guide portion 12d, the nest with handle and housing thereafter continues along the conveyor units 30 to seal molding station 38 where it is offloaded at station 40, seal 26 is applied to the housing peripheral surface 12c, and the handle and housing assembly is reloaded onto the main line at reload station 42, and the handle and housing assembly is thereafter moved further around the loop on the associated nest to station 44 where the bell crank 16 and spring

22 are installed, to station 46 where the spring is armed, to station 48 where testing operations are performed, to station 50 where further assembly operations are performed, and to station 52 where the handle assembly is unloaded from the nest for deposit onto a discharge conveyor 61 whereafter the empty nest continues around the closed loop and returns to the load station 34 where a further handle is positioned in the nest Seal molding station 38, in addition to offload station 40 and reload station 42, includes an offline seal molding assembly 62 (Figures 4, 5 and 6) Seal molding assembly 62 includes a frame structure 63, track assemblies 64, 65 and 66, trolleys 67, 68 and 69, gripper mechanisms 70 and 72, injection molding assembly 74, and a plurality of molding line modules 76, 78, 80, 82 and 84

Frame structure 63 has a generally caged or boxed configuration including corner pillars 63a, side rails 63b, and end rails 63c

Track assemblies 64, 65 and 66 extend between end rails 63c in parallel laterally spaced relation Each track assembly includes an endless belt 85 suitably driven by an electric motor 86

Trolleys 67, 68 and 69 are respectively mounted for movement along track assemblies 64, 65 and 66 and each trolley is suitably secured to the upper run of the respective endless belt 85 so that suitable actuation of the respective electric motor 86 has the effect of moving the trolley along the respective track assembly

Gripper mechanism 70 is carried by trolley 69 and includes a gripper housing 87, a power cylinder 88 mounted on the trolley 69 and operative to raise and lower housing 87 in response to actuation of the power cylinder with the up and down movement guided by guide rods 90, and a pair of opposed gripper elements 92 carried by the gripper housing and movable by a power cylinder structure 94 in a direction transverse to the axis of track 66 to bring the gripper elements together or move the gripper elements apart Gripper mechanism 72 is carried by trolley 67 and is identical to gripper mechanism 70

Injection molding assembly 74 is carried by trolley 68 and includes an injection nozzle assembly 96 movable by a power cylinder 98 in a downwardly and upwardly angled direction

Molding line modules 76, 78, 80, 82 and 84 (Figures 7 8 and 10) are identical so that the following description of module 84 is applicable to all of the modules Module 84 includes a support plate 100 spaced rails 102, a rodless cylinder assembly 104, a nest assembly 106, a stop assembly 108, fixed stops 110 fixed stops 112, and a mold assembly 114

Support plate 100 is suitably positioned within frame 63 in a position extending parallel to the main assembly line and positioned below gripper mechanisms 70 and 72 and injection nozzle assembly 74 Support plate 100 includes a main body generally planar portion 100a and four spaced bushing portions 100b upstanding from the main body portion in rectangularly spaced relation Rails 102 extend from end-to-end of the main body portion 100a of the plate on the top surface of the plate in laterally spaced relation

Rodless cylinder assembly 104 is positioned between rails 102 and includes a cylindrical housing 116 defining a slot 116a in the upper wall 116b of the housing, a piston 1 18 positioned for sliding movement within the housing, and a drive pin 119 carried by the piston and extending upwardly through the slot 116a It will be understood that piston 118 and thereby pin 119 are movable along the length of the cylinder housing by pressurized fluid selectively admitted to and exhausted from the opposite ends of cylindrical housing 116 Nest 106 (Figures 9 and 10) generally corresponds to nest 32 and like nest 32 is custom molded to conform to the configuration of the handle assembly Specifically nest 106 has a central concavity including a peripheral closed loop surface 106a, a central concavity 106b within surface 106a, and an elongated central concavity 106c within concavity 106b Surface 106a is sized to receive the flange 12b of a housing 12 with closed loop seal surface 12c upwardly exposed, and concavity 106c is sized to receive handle grip portion 14a with handle arm portion 14b extending upwardly through housing guide portion 12d A pair of stop tubes 120 are fixedly positioned on the underface of nest 106 in straddling relation to cylindrical housing 116 Stop assembly 108 (Figures 7 and 8) comprises a pair of power cylinders 120 positioned beneath a cross member 122 positioned beneath plate 100 and a pair of guide bars 124 positioned on the upper face of plate 100 between rodless cylinder 104 and the respective tracks 102. Each cylinder 120 includes a piston rod 126 extending upwardly through bar 122, through plate 100, and through a respective guide bar 124 to selectively position an upper end 126a of the piston rod above the upper face of the respective guide bar 124

Stops 1 10 (Figure 7) are fixed to the upper face of plate main body portion 100a at one end 100b of the plate in respective alignment with guide bars 124 and stop tubes 120 and stops 1 12 are positioned at the other end 100c of the plate also in respective alignment with guide bars 124 and stop tubes 120

Mold assembly 1 14 (Figures 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) includes an upper platen 130, a lower platen 132, a plurality of guide columns 134 interconnecting the upper and lower platens and passing s dably through plate journal portions 100b, a power cylinder 136 secured to the underface of plate 100 centrally with respect to the guide columns 134a, and a mold 138 secured to the underface of upper platen 130 Power cylinder 136 includes a piston 138 which is secured centrally to lower platen 132 so that actuation of cylinder 136 has the effect of moving the lower platen 132 upwardly and downwardly and thereby moving the upper platen and mold 130 upwardly and downwardly with the movement guided by the sliding movement of guide columns 134 in journals 100b

The lower face 138a (Figures 10 and 14) of mold 138 is configured to define an annular closed loop cavity or groove 138b corresponding in size and configuration to the housing flange 12b, a central concavity 138c within cavity 138b and a central concavity 138d within cavity 138c A sprue passage 138e sized to receive nozzle assembly 96 opens at one end in the end face 138f of the mold and at its other end communicates with the cavity 138b

A pair of trunnions 106d on the underface of plate 100 mount nest 106 for sliding movement on rails 102 between (Figure 7) a load station 142 in lateral alignment with main line offload station 40, a mold station 144 in underlying relation to mold 138, and an unload station 146 in lateral alignment with main line reload station 42

Operation

The assembly of a handle assembly 10 according to the invention follows the following sequence

1 A nest 32 arrives at the load station 34 on a conveyor

2 A handle 14 is placed in an inverted position in the nest with the handle positioned in the central concavity 32d and the arm 14b projecting upwardly

3 The nest with handle is moved by successive coacting conveyor units 30 to the housing load station 36

4 A housing 12 is placed in the nest in inverted fashion and in overlying relation to the handle with the peripheral flange 12b positioned on nest surface 32b and handle arm portion 14b projecting upwardly through the guide portion 12d of the housing

5 The nest with handle and housing is conveyed to offload station 40 by the coacting conveyor units 30 where it is stopped by the stop pin 140a of a stop cylinder 140 6 The motor 86 controlling trolley 69 is actuated in a sense to drive the associated track assembly 66 in a sense to move the trolley 69 into a position overlying the nest stopped at the offload station 40 whereupon the power cylinder 88 of the gripper mechanism 70 carried by the trolley is actuated to lower the gripper mechanism housing 87 to a position where gπppers 92 are positioned in straddling relation to the free upper end halted nest whereupon the gripper power cylinder 94 is actuated to grab the free end 14c of the handle arm whereupon cylinder 88 is reverse actuated to raise the gripper mechanism and thereby lift the handle assembly 10 from the nest 32 whereupon the associated motor 86 is actuated in a sense to move track assembly 66 in a sense to move the trolley 69 and gripper mechanism laterally with respect to the main line to a position overlying the load station 142 of module 84 whereupon cylinder 88 is actuated in a sense to lower the gripper mechanism and the handle assembly and position the handle assembly in a nest 106 located at the loading station 142 of the module 84 whereupon the gripper power cylinder is actuated in sense to release the handle assembly whereupon cylinder 88 is actuated in a sense to raise the gripper mechanism

7 After the handle assembly 10 is positioned in the nest 106 at load station 142 of module 84, the associated rodless cylinder 104 is actuated in a sense to move the nest 106 carrying the handle assembly from the load station 142 to the molding station 144

8 As the nest and handle assembly reach the molding station the nest is halted by engagement of stop tubes 120 with stop pins 126a which are raised at this time by actuation of power cylinders 120

9 At the mold station 144 the associated mold 138, which has been positioned in its raised or rest position, is lowered by actuation of cylinder 136 to a position where the lower face 138a of the mold is contiguous with the upper face 106d of the nest, the mold cavity 138b overlies the closed loop surface 12c of the housing, the main body bowl portion 12a of the housing is received in the mold concavity 138c, and the guide portion 12d of the handle and the upper end 14c of the handle arm portion are received in the central concavity 138d

10 Simultaneous with the arrival of the mold nest with the handle assembly at the mold station 144, the motor 86 controlling the trolley

68 carrying injection molding assembly 74 is actuated in a sense to move the trolley 68 to a position in confronting relation to the mold 138 of module 84 whereupon the cylinder 98 of the assembly 74 is actuated in a sense to move the nozzle assembly 96 forwardly and downwardly into a position where the nozzle is received in the sprue opening 138e in the mold whereupon heated resin is supplied to the nozzle 96 from a resin source 148 via a pump 150, a pressure regulator 152, and a conduit 154 The resin supplied from resin source 148 may comprise a mixed elastomer, such for example as a resin available from Q'so Incorporated of Saginaw, Texas, as Robofoam Mastic Mq-63 The resin may be supplied from pump 150 at a pressure of 2,500 psi and may be regulated down by regulator 152 to a pressure of 2 to 5 psi so that the resin supplied to nozzle 96 via hose 154 has a pressure of 2 to 5 psi

11 Hot resin is injected through nozzle 96 and sprue 138e and into cavity 138b where it fills the cavity in overlying relation to the surface 12c of the housing and creates the annular elastomeπc seal 26 The sprue enters the cavity 138b in a somewhat tangential fashion so that the initial flow of resin in cavity 138b is in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 9 until the resin, after progressing perhaps halfway around the closed loop cools and hardens to a point where further flow in that direction is not possible whereupon the flow reverses and proceeds from the sprue opening in a clockwise direction around the cavity 138b to join the resin material previously provided in a counter-clockwise direction and form the peripheral closed loop seal 26 A suitable release substance is applied to the cavity 138a of mold 138 so that the seal 26 adheres to the surface 12c of the housing rather than to the surface of the mold The injection step takes between 1 and 2 seconds

12 The resin is allowed to cure for approximately 6 seconds whereupon cylinder 136 is actuated in a sense to raise the mold and return it to its rest position, cylinders 120 are actuated in a sense to retract the stop pins 126a, and rodless cylinder 104 is actuated in a sense to move the nest with the handle assembly to the unload position 146 of the module 84 with the precise unload position of the nest determined by engagement of the stop tubes 120 with fixed stops 1 10

13 The motor 86 controlling the trolley 67 carrying the gripper mechanism 72 is actuated in a sense to position the gripper mechanism over the unload station 144 of the module 84 whereupon the gripper mechanism is lowered by actuation of the motor 88 to a position in which the gπppers 92 of the gripper mechanism straddle the upper end 14c of the handle arm portion 14b of the handle assembly whereupon the gripper motors are actuated to grip the upper arm portion 14c whereupon motor 88 is actuated to lift the handle assembly out of the nest 106 whereupon the associated motor 86 is actuated in a sense to move the gripper assembly with the handle assembly to the main line reload station 42 where the gripper mechanism and handle assembly directly overlie a nest 32 positioned at the unload station whereupon the motor 88 is actuated in a sense to lower the gripper mechanism and lower the handle assembly into the waiting nest 32 whereupon the gripper motors are actuated in a sense to release the handle assembly and the motor 88 is actuated in a sense to raise the gripper mechanism The handle assembly will be seen to have been returned to the same position on a nest 32 as it assumed during the movement of the handle assembly to the offload station 40 As the handle assembly is lifted out of the nest 106 at the unload station 146 of module 84, the rodless cylinder 104 is actuated in a sense to return the empty nest 106 to the load station 142 of module 84 where it awaits the arrival of another handle assembly 14 The positioning of the empty nest 32 at the reload station to receive the handle assembly is determined by the stop pin 150a of a stop cylinder 150 positioned at the reload station Upon loading of the handle assembly in the empty nest waiting at the reload station, the stop pin 150a is retracted to allow the nest with handle to advance on conveying units 30 around the closed loop main assembly line through stations 56, 57, 58 and 59 where the previously described assembly functions are performed and thereafter to the unload station 52 where the handle assembly is offloaded to the discharge conveyor 61 and the empty nest continues around to the handle load station 34.

Following the removal of a handle assembly from a nest 32 at the main line offload station 40, the stop pin 140a is retracted to allow the nest to continue under the urging of the conveyor unit toward the reload station 42 where it is stopped by the stop pin 150a of the stop cylinder 150 It will be understood that in actuality the empty nests 32 queue up (Figure 15) behind the stop pin 150a so that with each retraction of the stop pin 150a upon the reloading of a handle assembly in an empty nest one nest is allowed to advance past a stop cylinder whereupon the stop pin is again extended to stop the next successive empty nest to receive the next handle assembly

Following the removal of a handle assembly 10 from the nest 32 at the offload station 40 by the trolley 69 and associated gripper mechanism

70 and transfer of the handle assembly to the load station of the module 84, the trolley 69 and gripper mechanism return to the offload station 40 to retrieve the next handle assembly from the next successive nest which has arrived at the offload station in the meantime, whereupon the trolley and associated gripper are actuated in a manner to lift the handle assembly from the nest and transfer it to a nest positioned at the load station of the module 82 whereupon this procedure is repeated for each successive module so that the trolley 69 and associated gripper function continuously to transfer a handle assembly from a first nest 32 onto a nest 106 positioned at the load station 142 of module 84, thereafter transfer a handle assembly from a second nest 32 arriving at the offload station 40 to a nest 106 positioned at the load station 142 of module 82, thereafter function to transfer a handle assembly arriving on a third nest arriving at the offload station 40 to a nest 106 positioned at the load station 142 of module 80, thereafter function to transfer a handle assembly arriving on the next nest 32 arriving at the load station 40 to a nest 106 positioned at the load station 142 of module 78 and thereafter functions to transfer a hanαle assembly from the next nest 32 arriving at the offload station 40 to a nest 106 at the load station 142 of the module 76 whereupon the process continues so that handle assemblies arriving on successive nest 32 at the offload station 40 are successively transferred to the load stations of modules 76, 78, 80, 82, 84 etc

Each handle assembly arriving at the load station of a module is progressed through the module from the load station to the mold station to the unload station of that module in the manner previously described and the trolley 67 and associated gripper mechanism 72 function to remove the handle assemblies arriving at the unload stations 146 of the successive modules in the same order in which the gripper assembly working at the offload station delivers handle assemblies to the load stations of the modules

Specifically, trolley 67 and gripper mechanism 72 function to transfer a handle assembly from the unload station 146 of module 84 to a waiting empty nest at the reload station 42, thereafter function to transfer a handle assembly from the unload station 146 of module 82 to a waiting empty nest at the reload station 42, thereafter function to transfer a handle assembly from the unload station 146 of module 80 to a waiting empty nest at the reload station 42, thereafter function to transfer a handle assembly from the unload station 146 of module 78 to a waiting empty nest at the reload station 42, thereafter function to transfer a handle assembly from the unload station 146 of module 76 to a waiting empty nest at the reload station 42, and thereafter repeat the process with respect to successive modules 84, 82, 80 78 76, etc It will be seen that, in normal operation, each handle assembly is returned at the reload station to the same nest from which it was removed at the offload station

The timing of the speed of the main line comprised of the conveyor units 30 and the speed of the individual molding modules is such that the combined output of the individual modules equals the throughput of the main line For example the main line conveyor may be operated at a speed such as to deliver a nest and handle assembly to the offload station 40 every 6 seconds and the time for processing a handle assembly through a molding module may be approximately 30 seconds so that the five modules in combination can provide a throughput of one completed handle assembly for every 6 seconds to match the speed of the main line

The invention wiil be seen to provide a method and apparatus for providing a peripheral seal for a handle member, such as the handle of a motor vehicle door handle assembly, at a reduced cost both in terms of materials and labor Specifically, since no material is required to be provided to attach the seal to the handle, the material used is considerably less than in prior art seals and since the entire operation can be done automatically on a mass production basis the labor cost is significantly reduced Further, since the injection molding operation is carried out at a very low pressure using simple lightweight molds as opposed to heavy presses operating at very high pressures, the application of the seal to the handle can be done at any time in the overall process of assembling the handle assembly including, if desired, after the handle assembly has been painted and/or after various accessory components of the handle assembly have been attached to the housing Whereas a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the disclosed embodiment without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention

Claims

What is claimed is

1 A method of applying a peripheral closed loop seal to a peripheral seal area of a housing comprising positioning the housing in a mold nest with the seal area exposed, positioning a mold over the mold nest with a peripheral cavity defined by the mold and conforming to the peripheral seal area of the housing positioned over the seal area, injecting a flowable resin material into the cavity so as to deliver resin material through the cavity to the entire peripheral seal area of the housing, allowing the resin material to cure removing the mold from the moid nest, and removing the housing from the mold nest

2 A method according to claim 1 wherein the method includes the further step of painting the housing, and the painting step is carried out before the resin injection step

3 A method according to claim 1 wherein the housing is part of a housing assembly including further component items attached to the housing, and at least some of the component items are attached to the housing prior to the resin injection step

4 A method according to claim 1 wherein the mold nest is mounted for movement along a molding line path from a load station to a mold station to an unload station, the housing is loaded into the mold nest at the load station whereafter the mold nest is moved to the mold station, the mold is located at the mold station and is positioned over the mold nest and thereafter, following the resin injection and curing, removed from the mold nest while the mold nest is positioned at the mold station, and the mold nest is thereafter moved to the unload station where the housing is removed from the mold nest

5 A method according to claim 4 wherein a main line nest is movable along a main assembly line path from a start station to an offload station to a reload station to a finish station, the mold line path is offline with respect to the main line path and proximate the main line offload and reload stations the main line nest with housing is moved along the main line path from the start station to the offload station, whereafter the housing is removed from the main line nest and positioned in the mold nest at the load station, whereafter the mold nest with housing is moved to the mold station and thereafter to the unload station, whereafter the housing is removed from the mold nest and moved to the main line reload station from where it is moved along the main line path to the finish station

6 A method according to claim 5 wherein a plurality of parallel moid line paths are provided proximate the offload and reload stations and each includes a load station, a mold station, and an unload station, successive housings arriving at the offload station on the main line path in successive main line nests are moved to respective mold line paths for movement along the respective mold line path from the load station to the mold station to the unload station, and housings arriving at the onload station of a respective molding line path are moved to the main line reload station 7 A method according to claim 6 wherein a separate mold is positioned at the mold station of each molding line path for coaction with a nest and housing arriving at the mold station of the respective molding line path, and resin is delivered to the respective molds by a common injection nozzle assembly which is mounted for movement between the molds of the respective molding line paths

8 A method according to claim 7 wherein the molding line paths are positioned parallel to the main line path, first, second and third parallel overhead tracks extend generally normal to the main line path, the first track extends from the main line offload station and proximate the loading stations of successive main line paths, the second track extends from the main line reload station and proximate the unload stations of successive main line paths, the third track extends proximate the molding station of successive molding line paths, first and second gripper mechanisms are mounted for movement along the first and second tracks respectively, an injection nozzle assembly is mounted for movement along the third track, a supply of heated resin is delivered to the injection nozzle assembly, the first gripper mechanism is operative to move a housing from the main line offload station to the load station of a respective molding line path the second gπpper mechanism is operative to move a housing from the unload station of a respective molding line path to the main line reload station, and the injection nozzle assembly is moved on the third track selectively between the molding stations of the respective molding line paths to deliver resin selectively to the molds of the respective molding line paths

9 A method of forming a motor vehicle handle assembly including a housing having a peripheral seal area and a handle mounted on the housing, the method comprising positioning the handle in a mold nest, positioning the housing in a mold nest in overlying relation to the handle and with the seal area upwardly exposed, positioning a mold over the mold nest with a peripheral cavity defined in a lower face of the mold and conforming to the peripheral seal area of the housing positioned over the housing seal area, injecting a flowable resin material into the cavity so as to deliver resin material through the cavity to the entire peripheral seal area of the housing, allowing the resin material to cure, removing the mold from the mold nest, and removing the handle assembly from the mold nest

10 A method according to claim 9 wherein the method includes the further step of painting the housing and the handle, and the painting step is carried out before the resin injection step

11 A method according to claim 9 wherein the mold nest is mounted for movement along a molding line path from a load station to a mold station to an unload station, the housing and handle are loaded into the mold nest at the load station whereafter the mold nest is moved to the mold station, the mold is located at the mold station and is positioned over the mold nest and thereafter, following the resin injection and curing, removed from the mold nest while the mold nest is positioned at the mold station, and the mold nest is thereafter moved to the unload station where the housing and handle are removed from the mold nest

12 A method according to claim 1 1 wherein a mam line nest is movable along a main assembly line path from a start station to an offload station to a reload station to a finish station, the mold line path is offline with respect to the mam line path and proximate the mam line offload and reload stations the main line nest with housing and handle are moved along the mam line path from the start station to the offload station, whereafter the housing and handle are removed from the mam line nest and positioned in the moid nest at the load station, whereafter the mold nest with the housing and handle are moved to the mold station and thereafter to the unload station whereafter the housing and handle are removed from the mold nest and moved to the mam line reload station from where they are moved along the mam line path to the finish station

13 A method according to claim 12 wherein a plurality of parallel mold line paths are provided proximate the offload and reload stations and each includes a load station, a mold station, and an unload station, successive housings and handles arriving at the offload station on the mam line path in successive main line nests are moved to respective mold line paths for movement along the respective mold line path from the load station to the mold station to the unload station, and housings arriving at the onload station of a respective molding line path are moved to the mam line reload station

14 A method according to claim 13 wherein a separate moid is located at the mold station of each molding line path for coaction with a nest, housing, and handle arriving at the mold station of the respective molding line path, and resin is delivered to the respective molds by a common injection nozzle assembly which is mounted for movement between the molds of the respective molding line paths

15 A method according to claim 14 wherein the molding line paths are positioned parallel to the main line path first, second and third parallel tracks extend generally normal to the main line path, the first track extends from the mam line offload station and proximate the loading stations of successive main line paths, the second track extends from the ma line reload station and proximate the unload stations of successive main line paths, the third track extends proximate the molding station of successive molding line paths, first and second gripper mechanisms are mounted for movement along the first and second tracks respectively, an injection nozzle assembly is mounted for movement along the third track, a supply of heated resin is delivered to the injection nozzle assembly, the first gripper mechanism is operative to move a housing and handle from the mam line offload station to the load station of a respective molding line path, the second gripper mechanism is operative to move a housing and handle from the unload station of a respective molding line path to the main line reload station, and the injection nozzle assembly is moved on the third track selectively between the molding stations of the respective molding line paths to deliver resin selectively to the molds of the respective molding line paths

16 An apparatus for applying a peripheral closed loop seal to a closed loop peripheral seal area of a housing comprising a mold nest sized to receive the housing with the closed loop peripheral seal area exposed, a mold positioned over the mold nest and defining a closed loop peripheral cavity conforming to the closed loop peripheral seal area of the housing, means operative to move the mold from a rest position removed from the nest to a molding position in which the closed loop peripheral cavity overlies and coincides with the closed loop peripheral seal area of the housing, and injection means operative to inject a flowable resin material into the cavity so as to deliver resin material through the cavity to the entire peripheral seal area of the housing

17 An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the apparatus further includes a molding line path including a load station, a mold station, an unload station, and a driver operative to move the mold nest along the molding line path from the load station to the mold station to the unload station, and the moid is located at the mold station and is movable from the rest position to the molding position upon arrival of a nest containing a housing at the mold station 18 An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the apparatus further includes a mam assembly line path including a start station, an offload station, a reload station and a finish station and a mam line nest movable along the mam line path from the start station to the offload station to the reload station to the finish station, the mold line path is offline with respect to the mam line path and proximate the mam line offload and reload stations, the apparatus further includes offioad transfer means operative to remove the housing from the mam line nest at the offload station and transfer it to the mold nest at the load station, whereafter the mold nest with housing is moved by the driver to the mold station and thereafter to the unload station, and the apparatus further includes reload transfer means operative to remove the housing from the mold nest at the unload station and transfer it to the mam line reload station from where it is moved along the mam line path to the finish station

19 An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein a plurality of parallel mold line paths are provided proximate the offload and reload stations and each includes a mold nest, a ioad station, a mold station, an unload station, and a driver, the offload transfer means is operative to move successive housings arriving at the offload station on the mam line path in successive mam line nests to the mold nest of a respective mold line path for movement by the respective driver along the respective mold line path from the load station to the mold station to the unload station, and the reload transfer means is operative to move housings arriving in the mold nest at the unload station of a respective molding line path to the mam line reload station

20 An apparatus according to claim 19 wherein a separate mold is located at the mold station of each molding line path for coaction with a nest and housing arriving at the mold station of the respective molding line paths, and the injection means comprises a common injection nozzle assembly which is mounted for movement between the molds of the respective molding line paths

21 An apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the molding line paths are positioned parallel to the main line path, the offload transfer means comprises an offload track extending from the main line offload station and proximate the loading stations of the successive molding line paths and an offload gripper assembly mounted for movement along the offload track and operative to grip a housing at the offload station and transfer it to a load station of a respective molding line path, the reload transfer means comprises a reload track extending from the mainline reload station and proximate the unload stations of the successive molding line paths and a reload gripper assembly mounted for movement along the reload track and operative to grip a housing at the unload station of a respective molding line path and transfer it to the reload station the apparatus further includes an injection track extending proximate the molding stations of successive molding line paths and a source of heated resin, and the injection nozzle assembly is mounted for movement along the injection track and is connected to the resin source whereby the injection nozzle assembly may be moved on the injection track selectively between the molding stations of the respective molding line paths to deliver resin selectively to the molds of the respective molding line paths