GB2093908A

GB2093908A - Wire driving device for window regulator

Info

Publication number: GB2093908A
Application number: GB8201872A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Nippon Cable System Inc
Current assignee: Nippon Cable System Inc
Priority date: 1981-02-27
Filing date: 1982-01-22
Publication date: 1982-09-08
Also published as: FR2500881A1; FR2500881B1; GB2093908B

Abstract

A compact and thin wire-driving device for a window regulator which absorbs elongation of wire automatically, wherein both ends of a driving wire 8 are wound round two pulleys arranged parallel, i.e. a first pulley 3 and a second pulley 7, in the same direction; a first gear 4 is secured coaxially to the first pulley 3; a second gear 6 is adjacent coaxially to the second pulley 7 through ratchet teeth 6b, 7b; the first gear 4 and second gear 6 are meshed to each other; and, when the wire is wound up round the first pulley 3, a slack of the wire is wound up round the first pulley 3 and the second pulley 7 remains stopped. The geared pulleys are contained in a casing 1 and the first pulley 3 is driven through a lever 9. When the wire 8 elongates to loosen the tensile force, the lever 9, a first shaft 2, the first pulley 3, the first gear 4 and the second gear 6 are rotated, but the second pulley 7 is not rotated by the braking forces of a wave washer 10 and a spiral spring 13, until the tensile force of the wire 8 overcomes these braking forces. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Wire driving device for window regulator The present invention relates to a wire driving device especially for a window regulator, and more particularly to a wire-driving device which can absorb automatically elongation generated in a wire for transmitting power from the wiredriving device to a working device for raising and lowering of a window glass.

Hitherto, a wire-driving type window regulator which has a wire secured to a window glass and wound up or wound off to perform a slidably opening or closing action of a window glass in a building or vehicle is well used, for changing rotational reciprocating operation of operating member into linear reciprocating motion of a window glass. Such a wind regulator has some advantages, e.g. light weight and simple mechanism, due to using a wire as a transmission means. However, such a window regulator has a failure that elongation is generated in a wire in use, due to the characteristic of the wire. For that reason, elongation of the wire generates play in the rotational reciprocating operation of the driving device, so that the working device fails to accurately follow the driving device.Furthermore, elongation of the wire results in snap of the wire due to repeat of bending added to the wire, and further the wire is in danger of being off a pulley, whereby the device becomes uncontrollable.

In order to eliminate these disadvantages, a length-adjusting member such as bolt-nut system or tension pulley system has been generally provided to the window regulator of the wire type to absorb elongation of the wire. However, in those systems, elongation of the wire must be adjusted in each time when the elongation is produced. Also, the adjustment work is very troublesome, and some securing positions bring difficulties into the adjustment work.

Recently, in order to eliminate these disadvantages, a transmission device capable of absorbing elongation of the wire is suggested.

This device comprises two pulleys which are provided coaxialiy and rotatably to a shaft and have ratchet teeth on the inner surface facing to the shaft; a wire of which both end portions are respectively wound round the pulleys in the opposite direction to each other; and at ieast two pawls provided to the outer surface of the shaft, and respectively meshed with the above ratchet teeth. In that case, ratchet teeth of two pulleys are formed in the opposite direction to each other so that when the shaft is rotated in either direction, the ratchet teeth of one of pulleys are engaged with the pawl to stop the rotation of the pulley, and the other pulley is freely rotated, whereby elongation of the wire can be absorbed when the above other pulley is wound up the wire.

However, this suggested device has a problem in its strength, because the driving force is concentrated to the pawls. therefore, the number of the pawls to be engaged to ratchet teeth must be increased. As a result, many parts are necessary in assembly of the device, and the assembly becomes very troublesome.

Also, because the device comprises two pulleys coaxially to a shaft, this device necessitates large thickness, and as a result, wide space is required to be used for window regulator into a door panel of the automobile. Furthermore, to connect with an electric motor in a power window, the wind regulator is required to be more thin, recently.

The main object of the invention is to provide a compact and thin wire-driving device for window regulator which can automatically absorb permanent elongation generated in the power transmission wire connecting a driving device and a working device, and which can accurately drive the working device under a constant tension.

Other object of the invention is to provide a wire driving device for window regulator for absorbing elongation of a wire which can eliminate the adjustment work of the tension required in its assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to drawings.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view for showing an embodiment of a wire-driving device of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line X-X of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partially perspective view for showing the function of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 to 5 are sectional views for showing other embodiments of the invention respectively; Fig. 6 is a schematic partially perspective view for explaining the function of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view for showing an embodiment of the window regulator employing a wire-driving device of the invention.

In Fig. 1, la and ibare a main body and a lid, respectively, to form a casing 1. 2 is a first shaft rotatably provided to the casing 1, and a first pulley 3 and a first gear 4 are secured to the shaft 2. 5 is a second shaft rotatably provided in the casing 1 in parallel with the first shaft 2. A second gear 6 is secured to the second shaft 5, a second pulley 7 is rotatably supported on the second shaft 5, and is axially movable in some degree. The second gear 6 and the second pulley 7 are respectively provided with circular ratchet teeth 6b, 7b meshed with each other on one side surfaces.6a and 7a.

Each Enmesh direction of the ratchet teeth 6b and 7b is determined, so as to transmit the rotational torque from the second gear 6 to the second pulley 7, when the second pulley 7 is rotated in the direction of winding up the wire. Each outer surface 3d and 7d of the first pulley 3 and second pulley 7 is provided respectively with a recess 3e, 7e which can fixedly secure ends 8a and 8b of the wire 8 (as shown in Fig. 2). Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the shaft end of the first shaft 2 is provided with a portion 2a for connecting the lever 9.

Further, the first shaft 2 may be driven by electric motor (not shown). Furthermore, in the embodiment, wave washers 10 are inserted between the lid 1 a of casing and pulleys to brake the rotation of pulleys eliminating the influence from external force in the state of repose, for giving the certain tensile force actively to the wire unwound from pulleys, and the second pulley 7 is provided with a space 11, and the lid 1 a of casing is provided with a boss 12. A spiral spring 13 is contained in the space 11, and is engaged at one end thereof to the inner surface 11 a of the second pulley 7 and is engaged at the other end thereof to the outer surface 1 2a of the boss 12. And the spiral spring 13 urges the second pulley 7 in the direction that the second pulley 7 winds up the wire (in the direction D in Fig. 3).This spiral spring 1 3 gives the tensile force actively to the wire when the wire is unwound from the second pulley.

Hereinafter, the functions and advantages of the device of the invention will be explained.

As shown in Fig. 3, when the lever 9 is rotated in the direction A, the wire is wound up to the first pulley 3, and the working device (not shown) is driven. In that case, the torque lever 9 rotates the second gear 6 in the direction B through the first gear 4, but the torque is not transmitted to the second pulley 7, because the ratchet teeth 6B and 7B are disengaged. Thus, the second pulley 7 is rotated by only the drawing force of wire 8.

When the wire 8 elongates to loosen the tensile force, the lever 9, the first shaft 2, the first pulley 3, the first gear 4 and the second gear 6 are rotated, but the second pulley 7 is not rotated by the braking forces of the wave washer 10 and the spiral spring 13, until the tensile force of the wire 8 overcomes these braking forces.

When the lever 9 is rotated in the direction C, the first shaft 2, the first pulley 3 and the first gear 4 are also rotated in the direction C, and the second gear 6 is rotated in the direction D, and the second pulley 7 is rotated in the direction D through the ratchet teeth 6b, 7b by the rotation of the first pulley 3. Therefore, the wire 8 is wound to the second pulley 7, and is sent out from the first pulley 3. In that case, the elongation of wire 8 is not absorbed, because the wire is not drawn out from the first pulley by the tensile force of the wire 8.

It is apparent that the second shaft 5 can be provided with a portion 5a at the end thereof, and the lever 91 can be fixed to the portion 5a, as shown by the imaginary line of Fig. 1.

In another embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the second gear 6 is supported on the surface of the second shaft 5 rotatably and is axially movable in some degree, and the second pulley 7 is fixed to the shaft. The functions of this embodiment structured as above is described below.

When the lever 91 and the second shaft 5 are rotated in the direction D, the wire 8 is wound up round the second pulley, the working device is driven and the wire 8 is pulled out from the first pulley 3. In that case, the elongation of the wire 8 is absorbed. Conversely, when the lever 91 is rotated in the direction B, the ratchet teeth 6b, 7b are engaged, so that the first pulley 3 is rotated synchronously with the second pulley 7 and sends out the wire 8. In that case, the elongation of wire is not absorbed.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 is almost similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, a first pulley 31 is rotatably supported on the first shaft 21, and is axially movable in some degree. Furthermore, the first gear 41 and the first pulley 31 are respectively provided with circular ratchet teeth 41b and 31b meshed with each other on one side surfaces 41 a, 31 a. The shapes of the ratchet teeth 41 b and 31 b are the same as those of the ratchet teeth 7b and 6b.

In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, when the lever 9 is rotated in the direction A, the rotational torque is transmitted to only the first pulley 31, and the second pulley 7 is rotated by the tensile force of the wire. When the lever 9 is rotated in the direction C, the rotational torque is transmitted to only the second pulley 7, and the first pulley 31 is rotated by the tensile force of the wire. In that case, when the lever 9 is rotated in the direction A or B, the elongation of the wire can be absorbed automatically. In this embodiment, it is also apparent that the lever 91 may be fixed to the second shaft 5.

The wire-driving device of the invention can be used preferably for the window regulator of the automobile, or the like as shown in the Fig. 7. In the Fig. 7, a blacket 52 is fixed to a window glass 51 is provided slidably on a guide rail 53. Ends of two wires 54, 55 are connected to the blacket 52.

The first wire 54 extends downward and is turned by a guide member 56. Furthermore the wire 54 extends upward to a cable guide 57 together with the second wire 55, and then both of two wires are turned by the cable guide 57. Furthermore, the two wires are guided slidably by flexible guide tubes 58 of which both ends are fixed to the cable guide 57 and a casing 1 respectively, and reach to a wire-driving device. The other end of the first wire 54 is engaged to a recess 3e perforated in the surface of the first pulley 3, and the other end of the second wire 55 is engaged to a recess 7e perforated in the surface of the second pulley 7 as shown in Figs. 1 to 2. And each end portion of the wires can be wound up round the first pulley 3 and the second pulley 7 respectively by rotating of the lever 9 in the direction A or C. When the wires are wound up in the direction of either A or C, the blacket 52 and the window glass 51 are operated upward or downward. In such a window regulator, elongation of the wire can be absorbed automatically. Also, in such a window regulator, the second wire 55 pulling up the window glass is engaged to the second pulley. As a result, the weight of the window glass can be balanced by the force urged by the spiral spring 1 3, and the lever 9 can be operated smoothly.

As described above, the wire-driving device of the invention is thin and compact due to the parallel arrangement of pulleys for winding and unwinding the wire, and can satisfy the requirement of the thinning of the door panel in automobiles, or the like. Furthermore, due to providing the braking means, i.e. the wave washer or the spiral spring, against the pulleys, the operation of the window regulator can be ensured.

Claims

1. A wire-driving device comprising a casing; a first shaft supported rotatably to said casing, and provided with a first pulley and a first gear; a second shaft supported rotatably to said casing in parallel with said first shaft, and provided with a second gear and a second pulley; and one of said second gear and said second pulley being fixedly provided on said second shaft and the other being rotatably provided on said second shaft so as to be axially movable in some degree, said first gear and said second gear being meshed with each other, ratchet teeth capable of engaging with each other being provided on both facing side surface of said second gear and the second pulley, and a wire being secured to each outer surface of said first and second pulleys at both ends thereof and being wound round each pulley, so that both ends of the wire is wound up when the pulley is rotated in the direction that said ratchet teeth are not meshed.

2. The device of Claim 1 wherein the end of said first shaft has a lever-securing portion.

3. The device of Claim 1 wherein the end of said second shaft has a lever-securing portion.

4. The device of Claim 1 wherein said second pulley and second gear are urged so as to jostle one another.

5. The device of Claim 1 wherein a spiral spring is contained in said second pulley, and the both ends of said spiral spring are respectively secured to said second pulley and said casing, so that said spiral spring urges the second pulley in the direction that the second pulley winds up the wire.

6. A wire-driving device comprising a casing; a first shaft supported rotatably to said casing, and provided with a first pulley and a first gear; a second shaft supported rotatably to said casing in parallel with said first shaft, and provided with a second gear and a second pulley; and said first gear being fixedly provided on the first shaft and the first pulley being rotatably provided on said first shaft so as to be axially movable in some degree, said second gear being fixedly provided on the second shaft and the second pulley being rotatably provided on said second shaft so as to axially movable in some degree, said first gear and said second gear being meshed with each other, ratchet teeth capable of engaging with each other being provided on both facing side surfaces of said first gear and second pulley, and a wire being secured to each outer surface of said first and second pulleys at both ends thereof and being wound round each pulley, so that both ends of the wire is wound up when the pulley is rotated in the direction that said ratchet teeth are not meshed.

7. The device of Claim 6 wherein the end of said first shaft has a lever-securing portion.

8. The device of Claim 6 wherein the end portion of said second shaft has a lever-securing portion.

9. The device of Claim 6 wherein said second pulley and said second gear are urged so as to jostle one another.

10. The device of Claim 6 wherein a spiral spring is contained in said second pulley, and both ends of said spiral spring are respectively secured to said second pulley and said casing, so that said spiral spring urges the second pulley in the direction that the second pulley winds up the wire.

11. A wire driving device substantially as disclosed herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.