FR2846696A1 - Slider for opening window on motor vehicle is made from plastic with inner metal inner reinforcement to foil or delay attempted break-in - Google Patents

Abstract

The slider (10) that supports an opening window in a motor vehicle door is made from plastic with a recess (12) to receive the glass, a branch (16) extending along the recess and contains an inner metal reinforcing element (14) to limit the flexure of the branch and prevent the glass from being dislodged from it. The reinforcing element has two parts that can be moulded inside the branch and body of the slider or fixed to their outer surfaces by adhesive or screws. During assembly the slider is fitted with the branch located between the glass and the body of the vehicle.

Description

i

WINDOW REGULATOR AND

CURSOR MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

  The present invention relates to a window regulator slider and methods of making the slider. One method of breaking into a vehicle is to break the slider on the window regulator in order to drop the window into the door. This burglary mode is used for hand-clipped sliders, the glass is inserted between two vertical walls of the slider and is clipped onto a stud of the slider through a hole in the glass. For this, the thief 10 undoes the outer seal of the door at the bottom of the window frame in order to introduce into the door a tool such as a screwdriver. With this tool, the thief breaks the cursor and then draws the glass towards him. The window protrudes from the broken cursor and is no longer supported by the cursor. As a result, the glass falls to the bottom of the door and the

  thief has access to the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

  There is therefore a need to be able to prevent theft of the vehicle by falling the window into the door, or at least to delay theft. For this, the invention provides a window regulator slider comprising - a housing adapted to receive a window, - a branch extending along the housing,

  - a reinforcement increasing the flexural strength of the branch.

  According to one embodiment, the reinforcement is of a material different from the cursor.

  For example, the reinforcement is made of metal and the cursor is made of plastic.

  According to one embodiment, the branch extends from a body of the cursor.

  According to one embodiment, the reinforcement comprises first and second parts embedded respectively in the body and in the branch.

  According to one embodiment, the reinforcement comprises a first and a

  second parts extending respectively against the body and against the branch.

  The invention also relates to a window regulator comprising a slider such as

described previously.

  The invention also relates to a vehicle door comprising the window regulator as described above.

  According to one embodiment, the door further comprises a bodywork and a window pane in the housing, the slider branch extending along the housing is between

the glass and the bodywork.

  The invention also relates to methods of manufacturing a cursor as described above. According to one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of placing the reinforcement in a mold and then molding the cursor around the reinforcement. According to another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of \\ IRSCH6 \ PATENTS \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400. doc - 10/31/02 - 8:10 AM - 1/8 molding of the slider then fixing of the reinforcement against the slider by gluing or screwing. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading

  the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, given as

  of example only and with reference to the drawings which show: - Figure 1, a schematic perspective representation of a window slider;

  - Figure 2, a section along A-A of the cursor of Figure 1.

  The invention relates to a window regulator slider comprising a reinforcement 10 increasing the resistance to bending of a branch of the cursor extending along a window housing. The reinforced cursor branch is preferably the one exposed to the thief's tool. So the thief can not break the cursor to drop the glass from its housing in the vehicle door, or in any case it will

  considerably delayed in the break-in.

  Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective representation of a window regulator slider. The cursor 10 comprises a housing 12 adapted to receive a window, a branch 16 of the cursor 10 extending along the housing 12. A reinforcement 14 increases the resistance to bending of the branch 16 when a force is exerted at the top of the branch 16 towards the outside of the housing 12. Thus, the reinforcement 14 20 increases the resistance of the branch 16 which resists bending forces exerted by a thief; this prevents the housing 12 from being opened and the window being

rushed to the back of the door.

  The cursor 10 makes it possible to drive the window of a window lifter in translation along a vehicle door. The window is for example supported by its lower edge by the cursor. The cursor then raises the window when it is raised in the door and the cursor pulls the window when the window is lowered in the door. Preferably, the glass is fixed to the cursor by clipping onto a stud of the cursor by means of a

hole in the glass.

  The slider 10 includes the window housing 12. The housing 12 allows the glass to be retained in the cursor. The housing 12 allows the glass to be retained in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the glass. The housing 12 has for example the shape of a groove in which the glass is inserted. By way of example, in FIG. 1, the housing 12 is delimited in a direction perpendicular to the glass by the branch 16 and by the members 15, 17. The housing 12 is delimited in the plane of the glass by a body 18 of the cursor. The members 15, 17 and branch 16 form with the body 18 the housing 12 having a U shape. The members 15, 17 on the one hand and the branch 16 on the other hand are shown offset but can also face each other. The three elements 15, 16, 17 shown to define the housing 12 can also be at \\ HIRSCH6 \ PATENTS \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400.doc - 31/10/02 - 08:10 - 2/8 number of two, of on either side of the housing 12 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the glass, so as to define a housing 12 in the shape of a U. The cursor 10 is for example made of plastic which makes it light and can be

obtained by a molding step.

  Figure 2 shows a section along A-A of the cursor 10 of Figure 1. The section shown more specifically shows an embodiment of the cursor according to the invention. Figure 2 shows the reinforcement 14 increasing the flexural strength of the branch 16. The branch 16 extends along the housing 12 from the body 18 of the slider. The branch 16 is embedded cantilevered in the body of the cursor. The branch 16 retains the glass inserted in the housing 12 to prevent it from falling into the door. This branch 16 is on the side of the window facing the outside of the vehicle. A thief who introduces a tool into the door can reach the branch 16 to break it. The branch being kept cantilevered, the thief can make the branch 16 work in flexion towards him so as to break it at its junction with the body 18. The housing 12 is then open and no longer allows the glass to be retained except the

  thief can knock in the door.

  The reinforcement 14 prevents the thief from breaking the branch 16, the reinforcement

  increasing the resistance to bending of the branch 16. The reinforcement 14 is preferably located at the junction of the branch 16 with the body 18 of the cursor. Thus, when the thief makes the branch 16 work in flexion, the latter becomes more resistant.

  The reinforcement is advantageously of a material different from that of the cursor 10.

  The reinforcement 14 is a non-monobloc element with respect to the cursor and is added to the latter. This makes it possible to choose a reinforcement in a material offering more resistance to the cursor. This also makes it possible to be able to fix a reinforcement on an already manufactured cursor. The reinforcement 14 is for example made of metal.

  According to one embodiment, the reinforcement 14 may comprise a first part and a second part embedded respectively in the body 18 and in the branch 16. The first and second parts have an angle of inclination between them; for example an angle of about 900 allowing each of the parts to extend in the body and in the branch. The reinforcement 14 is for example placed in the cursor during the molding of the cursor. The reinforcement 14 extends over part of the length of the branch 16; if the thief tries to break the cursor, the branch 16 may break first at the top of the reinforcement 14. Thus, the part of the branch 16 occupied by the reinforcement 14 will always be maintained in connection with the body 18 which allows prevent the glass from falling into the door. To drop the window, the thief must then break the remaining part of the branch 16 which is more resistant to

  bending. The reinforcement 14 then makes it possible to delay the burglary of the vehicle.

  \\ HIRSCH6 \ PATENTS \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400.doc - 10/31/02 - 8/10 - 3/8 According to another embodiment, the reinforcement 14 may comprise a first part and a second part extending respectively against the body 18 and against the branch 16. The reinforcement 14 is for example placed in the housing 12, after molding the slider. The reinforcement 14 can be fixed by gluing or screwing against the slider 10. The advantage is to be able to fix the reinforcement 14 on sliders 10 already manufactured. The reinforcement 14 can then be in contact with the window in the housing 12. The reinforcement 14 extends over part of the length of the branch 16; if the thief tries to break the cursor, branch 16 may break partially or completely. On the other hand, the reinforcement 14 will remain in place, which makes it possible to keep the housing 12 and to keep the window in place. The glass will be retained by the reinforcement 14. To make it fall

  the window, the thief will then have to break or deform the reinforcement which is more resistant to bending.

  The reinforcement 14 then makes it possible to delay the burglary of the vehicle.

  The reinforcement can also extend over the entire length of the branch and of the body,

  thus increasing everyone's resistance.

  Preferably the reinforcement increases the resistance to bending of all the branches of the slider exposed to the action of the thief. Thus, in FIG. 1, the branch 16 and the member 17 both comprise a reinforcement 14 so that the thief cannot break any of the two elements 16, 17. It is also conceivable that all the elements 15, 16, 17 extending along the housing 12 have their resistance to bending increased by a reinforcement 14. Also, when the housing 12 is only delimited by two elements on either side of the housing 12 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the glass, the reinforcement may have a U shape

conforming to the shape of the accommodation.

  The reinforcement is for example a metal rod or plate which can be bent to adapt it to a location and to the shape of the cursor. The diameter of the rod or the thickness of the plate will be determined according to the resistance to

desired flexion of the cursor.

  The invention also relates to a window regulator with such a slider as well as to a

  vehicle door comprising such a window regulator.

  The vehicle door further comprises a coating on the side of the door facing the interior of the vehicle and a bodywork. The bodywork and the coating define a space in which the window regulator is located. The door also includes a window actuated by the window regulator. The window defines with the covering and the body an internal zone facing the interior of the vehicle and an external zone facing the exterior of the vehicle. The window is in the housing 12 and the branch 16 of the slider extending along the housing 12 is between the window and the body, in the external zone. Thus, the branch 16, the flexural strength of which is increased by the reinforcement 14, is on the side of the window exposed to the thief; the rest of the cursor 10, in the \\ HIRSCH6 \ PATENTS \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400.doc - 31110/02 - 08 10 - 4/8 internal area, is protected from the thief by the glass. The thief, trying to break the cursor, is then confronted with the reinforced branch 16. The cursor 10 may possibly break at the junction between the branch 16 and the body 18 of the cursor 10, more surely above the reinforcement 14. The window will then be kept between 5 the rest of the cursor in the internal zone and the reinforcement 14. The thief will not be able to pull on the glass to loosen it from the cursor. The flight will then be impossible, at least delayed. The invention also relates to methods of manufacturing the cursor 10 as described above. A method comprises a step of placing the reinforcement 10 14 in a mold and then a step of molding the cursor around the reinforcement 14. Thus, the reinforcement 14 is embedded in the cursor which makes it possible to obtain the cursor with a branch 16 reinforced in a molding step. Although molded in the slider, the

  reinforcement is nonetheless considered non-integral with the cursor.

  Another method comprises a step of molding the cursor followed by a step of fixing the reinforcement against the cursor. The reinforcement can be attached by gluing or screwing. This allows the location of the reinforcement to be chosen later, in particular as a function of the position of the cursor in the door and as a function of the less resistant parts of the cursor. This process also makes it possible to fix the reinforcement on already manufactured sliders. Another advantage of this method is that the reinforcement 14 does not have to be inserted into the thickness of the branch 16 of the slider which can

  be small (for example of the order of 2 to 3 mm).

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described by way of example. Thus, the slider can be attached to the glass in places other than along the bottom edge of the glass, for example, along a side edge of the glass. Furthermore, the reinforcement 14 shown in FIG. 2 can be arranged differently, the first part being able to occupy a symmetrical position by

compared to the second part.

  \\ '} IRSCH6 \ PATENTS \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400.doc - 31110/02 - 08:10 - 518

Claims (12)

  1. A window regulator slider (10) comprising - a housing (12) adapted to receive a window, - a branch (16) extending along the housing (12),   - a reinforcement (14) increasing the resistance to bending of the branch (16).   2. The cursor according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcement (14) is   of a material different from the cursor (10).   3. The cursor according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reinforcement (14) 10 is made of metal.   4. The cursor according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cursor (10) is made of plastic.   5. The cursor according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the   branch (16) extends from a body (18) of the cursor (10).   6. The cursor according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the reinforcement (14) comprises first and second parts embedded respectively in the body (18) and in the branch (16).   7. The cursor according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcement (14)   comprises first and second parts extending respectively against the body (18) and against the branch (16).   8. A window regulator (20) comprising a slider according to one of claims   preceding. 9. A vehicle door (30) comprising the window regulator according to the preceding claim. 10. The door (30) according to claim 9, characterized in that it further comprises a body and a window (34) in the housing (12), the branch (16) of the   slider extending along the housing (12) is between the glass and the body.   R: \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400FRrevmodifl.doc - 08/01/03 - 19:14 - 6/2   11. Method for manufacturing a cursor according to one of claims 1 to 6,   comprising the steps of placing the reinforcement in a mold and then molding the cursor around the reinforcement.   12. Method for manufacturing a cursor according to one of claims 1 to 5 or 7,   including the steps of molding the cursor and then fixing the reinforcement against the cursor by gluing or screwing.   R: \ Patents \ 20400 \ 20400FRrevmodifl.doc - 08/01/03 - 19:14 - 7/2