Door latch assembly with integrally molded, flexible interior door seal

摘要

An automotive latch assembly (46) includes an integrally molded seal (54) surrounding three sides of a striker entry hole (52), formed from the same relatively inflexible material as the latch assembly housing (48). The seal (54) comprises a general C shape, including a first wall (56) and two second walls (58), each of which slopes outwardly from said housing (48) and each of which is joined to an adjacent wall (56,58) at an obtuse angle. Each juncture of adjacent walls (56,58) comprises a flex joint (60) that includes a concave fold that flattens out as said adjacent walls (56,58) tend to diverge from one another as they are bent downwardly. This allows the seal (54) as a whole to effectively flex.