US2619939A

US2619939A - Window operator

Info

Publication number: US2619939A
Application number: US676925A
Authority: US
Inventors: John R Oishei; Rappl Anton
Original assignee: Trico Products Corp
Current assignee: Trico Products Corp
Priority date: 1946-06-15
Filing date: 1946-06-15
Publication date: 1952-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1969-12-02

Description

1952 J. R. OISHEI ET AL 2,619,939

WINDOW OPERATOR Filed June 15, 1946 ATTORNEY) Patented Dec. 2, 1952 WINDOW OPERATOR John R. Oishei, Buffalo, and Anton Rappl, Eg-

gcrtsville, N. Y., assignors to Trice Products Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application, June 15, 1946, Serial No. 676,925

Claims.

This invention relates to the window operator art and particularly to an operator for the windows of motor vehicles, the same being an improvement on the disclosure made in Letters Patent No. 2,501,092, issued March 21, 1950, wherein there is illustrated a pneumatic motor connected by a flexible transmission to the window panel for imparting rapid movement to the latter toward and from its closed position. While the window is air operated and therefore may be readily arrested because of the compressibility of the gaseous fluid, nevertheless there is a potential danger of personal injury resulting from a finger or other part of the body being caught in the window as it moves so rapidly to its seat.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved window operator in which resides an increased factor of safety whereby a safe operation will be secured while maintaining the desired fast closing movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a window operator in which the final closing movement of the window will be retarded to lessen the impact of the window upon its seat, or upon any interposed object, and will result in an easing of the window into its seat firmly but Without likelihood of personal harm.

The invention also has for its object to provide a window system in which the fast window movement is modified to a safe degree as the window approaches its seat while enabling a, fast reverse or opening Window movement from the start to avoid delay in opening the window where prompt action is urgent, such as for giving a signal.

The foregoing and other objects will manifest themselves as the description progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the improved window operator, with portions of the window being shown in fragment;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showim; more particularly the motion retarding means; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the retarding means.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I designates a side window of an automobile and 2 the vertical channeled guides in which the window panel is slidably mounted. The lower edge of the window panel has bracket arms 3 serving to mount the panel on a pair of verticalflight portions 4 of a flexible transmisslon 5 which latter is suitably mounted on pulleys 6 journaled at the upper ends of upright frame members! and also by drums 8 journaled on the opposite ends of the fluid motor casing 9. The casing has a chamber In in which moves a self-lockingpiston H which, in turn, is coupled by a flexible piston rod l2 to smaller drums [3. Each drum I3 is associated with one of the drums 8 and is fixed therewith upon a shaft I4 to rotate therewith. A control valve 15 is interposed in the suction or fluid pressure line I 6 to selectively connect the opposite ends of the chamber Ill, as through branch conduits IT, to the source of pressure, the control valve [5 being selectively actuated by suitable button valves I8. All of the foregoing is more clearly disclosed in the aforesaid patent, the operation being that when the source of subatmospheric pressure or suction is connected to the right .end .of the chamber I9, the Window will be lowered to its open position and when the suction is connected to the left end of the chamber, the window panel will be elevated to a closed position against its seat at the upper side of the window opening.

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided to retard the speed of the window in the final portion of its travel to a closed position. In the present disclosure, this is accomplished by throttling the pressure communication and to this end the left branch conduit H is caused to open into the chamber Ii] through a passage [9 inthe head 2|! which passage extends from thewchamber in the direction of piston movement. Carried by the piston H is a, valve or throttling member in the form of a pin 2| arranged to enter the passage [9 as the piston approaches its limit of travel toward the head or left end wall 20 of the chamber. An annular valve member 22 is arranged in a counterbore 23 which forms a valve chamber in the entranceway to the passage IS. The valving ring 22 receives the pin 2| with a predetermined clearance and is adapted to have sealing contact with a seat 24. A clearance of from'two to five thousandths of an inch may suflice. This has the effect of reducing the capacity of the passage 19 and therefore serves to reduce the pressure differential acting upon the piston. Consequently, the rate of movement will be likewise reduced and the window will ease into its seat. Should a persons hand or finger be interposed between the moving panel and its seat, he will have ample time to effect a, safe withdrawal, but should he fail to do so, the impact of the window will be lightened or minimized by reason of the reduction in the speed of travel and avoid serious injury.

The foregoing construction will enable the desired fast movement for the major portion of window travel, followed by a prescribed retard. If desired, the restriction could be effected by the throttling pin alone but in that event the retard would be objectionable for window opening movement since the window would respond slowly at the start and this may be undesirable under conditions which require the utmost speed. This undesirable feature is avoided by having the valving ring unseat immediately upon the start of the reverse piston movement and thereby establish unrestricted communication with the adjacent conduit H. In other words, the restriction is bypassed so as to permit free ingress of the outside air into the left end of the motor chamber. For this purpose the valve 22 is loosely retained within its chamber 23 by an overhanging cage 25. The diameter of the opening through the ring valve is less than that of the passage [9, the clearance between the passage wall and the throttling pin being sufiicient to offer no substantial resistance to air flow into the motor chamber. By thus utilizing the ring valve to determine the throttling eificiency, a practical construction is provided in which the window retarding clearance may be economically provided. The small amount of such clearance will ordinarily cause the valve 22 to unseat by mechanical attachment to the throttling pin with or without the aid of the inflowing air.

As above set forth, the length of the throttling pin will determine the moment at which the retard will be impressed upon the window travel. This retard may be confined only to a particular portion of the path of window travel (such as the point at which impact against the hand would ordinarily occur if interposed in the path) and thereafter resume its fast speed to its seat. For this purpose the throttling pin is shown with a reduced part 26 which will pass into the ring valve and thereby more fully open the communication with the suction line as the piston continues its leftward movement. The overall result is that the window will hesitate momentarily in its movement and thereafter resume its faster speed for the remainder of its path of travel to the window seat, the latter being indicated at 21. This will serve to preclude the full impact of the fast moving window upon any interposed object while at the same time maintain the time interval for closing the window at a minimum.

While the foregoing description has been given in detail, it is without thought of limiting the invention thereby since the inventive principles are capable of assuming other physical embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a window operating device, a fluid mtor having a piston and chamber construction with the pressure responsive member of the motor operable to move a connected window, fluid passages opening into the chamber at opposite sides of the piston and alternately connectible to a source of pressure for so moving the member, one passage having an annular seat thereabout, a pressure responsive ring-like valve engaging the seat, and a valve pin on one motor part operating through said ring-like valve with a predetermined clearance for retarding the window closing movement of the member, said pin having a reduced part cooperating with the ring-like valve to restore the fluid pressure communication for a faster movement after the momentary retard, and said ring-like valve unseating by and upon reverse fluid flow through said one passage to maintain the faster movement in reverse as the pin withdraws from the ring-like valve.

2. In a window operating device, a fluid motor having a pressure responsive member operatively connectible to a window for moving the same, fluid passages opening into the opposite sides of the motor and alternately connectible to a source of pressure for so moving said member, one passage having an annular seat thereabout, a ringlike valve cooperating with the seat, and a valve pin received by said ring-like valve with a predetermined clearance to restrict fluid flow for retarding the window closing movement of the member, said pin having a reduced part for entering the ring-like valve to open and restore full fluid pressure communication for a faster movement after the momentary retard, said ring-like valve moving away from the seat upon a reverse operation of the motor to enable unretarded opening movement of the window.

3. In a window operating device, a fluid motor having a pressure responsive member movable back and forth for moving a window, fluid passages alternately connectible to a source of pressure for operating the motor, a valve pin carried by said member and slidable thereby into one of said passages during a portion of its movement to restrict flow therethrough, a valve seat encircling the passage, a pressure responsive valve adapted to engage said seat in response to fluid pressure discharging out of said passage when restricted by said pin, said valve having an opening therein of less diameter than the diameter of the passage and of greater diameter than the pin to further restrict said passage when in seated position, means normally supporting said ringlike valve at an outer peripheral edge portion with its opening substantially aligned for receiving said valve pin during movement of said pressure responsive member, said valve being displaceable from its seat by the reversal of flow through said passage, and stop means for limitingtthe movement of said valve away from its sea 4. The structure of claim 3 characterized in that the valve pin is provided with a reduced part spaced inwardly from its free end, the reduced part cooperating with the ring-like valve to restore the fluid pressure communication for a faster movement after a momentary retard.

5. In a window operating device, a fluid motor having a pressure responsive member movable back and forth for moving a window, fluid passages alternately connectible to a source of pressure for operating the motor, a valve pin having a reduced outer end portion carried by said member and. slidable thereby into one passage during a portion of its movement to restrict flow therethrough, a valve seat encircling the passage, a pressure responsive valve adapted to engage said seat in response to fluid pressure discharging out of said passage when restricted by said pin, said valve having an opening therein of less diameter than the diameter of the passage and of greater diameter than the pin to further restrict said passage when in seated position, a valve cage normally supporting said ring-like valve at its outer peripheral edge portion with its opening slightly out of alignment with said pin forreceiving the reduced end portion thereof during movement of the pressure responsive member, said valve during movement of the pin therein seating upon said pin in frictional engagement therewith, whereby movement of said pin will influence movement of the valve with respect to its seat in a direction corresponding to the movement of the pin, and stop means for limiting the movement of the valve away from its seat.

JOHN R. OISHEI.

ANTON RAPPL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Osmer Sept. 29, 1908 Nelson Aug. 23, 1927 Forman July 31, 1928 Whitesell Sept. 13, 1932 Knecht Dec, 20, 1932 Hume Dec. 23, 1941 Shetzline July 6, 1943 Rappl Dec. 11, 1945