Abstract: An automotive vehicle having no pillar between adjacent front swinging and rear sliding doors is provided a structure for mounting a front door striker engageable with a door lock of the front door. The door striker is mounted on a vehicle side sill with a reinforcement which provides sufficient stiffness for the vehicle side sill for resisting against bending stress applied thereto. A guide rail retainer secured to an inner wall of the side sill supports an end of a guide rail for the sliding rear door.

Abstract: An air conditioning unit is directed by a control program which causes it to be sensitive to various internal and external factors affecting the upper and lower cabin environments and is particularly characterized by a blower control which, during initial automatic air conditioner operation, holds the blower energization at a low level(1) in summer so that until cool air is available, hot air is not forcefully discharged into a hot cabin,(2) in winter when both the upper and lower regions are cold and only after a given minimal engine coolant temperature has been sensed to prevent strong drafts of insufficiently heated air, and(3) in winter when the lower region is cold but the upper region is warmed by sunshine, in which case air is blown only into the upper region.

Abstract: A guide rail structure for an automotive sliding door, particularly applicable for an automotive vehicle having a center pillarless body construction. A guide rail is mounted onto a vehicle body side frame such as roof side frame or side sill. The guide rail has a section extending substantially along the side frame which serves as longitudinal reinforcement and a section inserted into an internal space of the side frame and extending across the internal space. The latter section of the guide rail is supported by a reinforcement which is disposed within the internal space of the side frame and cooperates with the reinforcement to provide lateral reinforcement for the side frame.

Abstract: A fuel filler system for an automotive vehicle includes a safety flange shielding the filler tube cap from the edges of the body panel opening through which the fuel filler tube passes. The flange may be threaded so as to be easily attached to or removed from the filler tube. Alternatively, an elastic seal may be installed to ensure a fluid-tight seal between the filler tube and the body panel. In addition, a second fluid-tight seal may be provided by a sealing member forming part of a bracket fixing the filler tube to the outside of the opening in the body panel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling an air conditioner of the which can create air flows at different temperatures into the compartment. The air-blowing mode of the air conditioner is changed based upon a sensed condition of ambient temperature.

Abstract: In a masking technique used in painting processes, a flexible masking sheet is held in place and in shape by the tension on wires fixed to the sheet. The tension is generated by a tensioning device which acts as a ratchet allowing only increases in tension at room temperature and which loses ratcheting effect at higher temperatures. The tensioning device may employ a wax-actuated clutch which is rigid at room temperature but which gradually loses rigidity, thus slowly releasing tension, as temperature increases. Alternatively, the tensioning device may remain perfectly rigid until a higher temperature prevails. A workpiece can be masked and painted at room temperature and then cured and/or dried at a higher temperature, at which time the mask can be easily removed.

Abstract: A sealing structure for an automotive sliding door comprising a lower seal attached to the lower edge of the sliding door. The lower seal is adapted to contact a lower vertical edge portion of a lower guide rail upon which the sliding door is slidably suspended to establish a water-tight seal between the guide rail and the lower edge of the sliding door. The guide rail is mounted on a lower side frame of the automotive vehicle, and a weatherstrip is also installed on the vehicle body lower side frame. The weatherstrip is adapted to contact the inner surface of the sliding door to establish another water-tight seal. In this way a double seal is obtained around the lower edge of the sliding door, and the lower guide rail is satisfactorily isolated from leaking moisture.

Abstract: The blower of an air conditioner is either (a) rotated at an ultra low speed until a first predetermined air temperature is sensed in the duct in which the blower is disposed, or (b) is temporarily disabled until a minimal engine coolant temperature is sensed, whereafter in both cases the rotational speed of the blower is stepped up a little to a still "low" level and held at this level until the temperature of the air discharged from the duct has risen to a second predetermined temperature. Subsequently the rotational speed of the blower is increased at a suitable rate until a maximum rotational level is reached.

Abstract: The blower of an automotive air conditioning unit is energized according to a flexible schedule wherein the maximum and minimum voltages applied to the blower motor are varied in response to a plurality of sensed parameters which influence the environment controlled by the air conditioning unit so that during extremely hot and cold weather suitably powerful energization is realized while during milder weather the energization is limited to avoid unnecessary noise generation.

Abstract: A sealing structure for an automotive vehicle prevents turbulent air flow around a front pillar and thus reduces noise due to wind. This seal is provided by a weatherstrip which also seals the space between the front pillar and a front door against water. The weatherstrip is provided with an extension extending towards the opening of the above space to close same. The extension lies approximately flush with the outer surfaces of the front pillar and the front door to form a substantially continuous external surface. This continuous external surface around the front pillar improves the aerodynamics of the vehicle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a retractable air deflector for an automobile with an open top which can be automatically stowed away into a relatively narrow trough extending along the front periphery of the open top as a natural result of closing the open top with a detachable roof and can automatically project out into its operative state upon removal of the detachable roof. Thus not only the noises often produced in an automobile with an open top running at certain high speed due to the air turbulance caused around the open top is eliminated but also the inconvenience of separately putting up an air deflector and stowing it away each time a detachable roof is removed and mounted from and to the open top of the automobile is eliminated.

Abstract: A sealing structure for an automotive vehicle is adapted to establish a water-proof seal for a type of vehicle which has no pillar between adjacent front and rear doors. The seal between the adjacent doors serves as a downspout for a vehicle roof gutter for draining any water which might leak from the gutter.