US2745662A

US2745662A - Window regulator

Info

Publication number: US2745662A
Application number: US359022A
Authority: US
Inventors: John A Mcdougall
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 1953-06-02
Filing date: 1953-06-02
Publication date: 1956-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-15

Description

May 15, 1956 J. A. M DOUGALL 2,745,662

, WINDOW REGULATOR Filed June 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JAMCDOUGALL INVENTOR.

May 15, 1956 J. A. MCDOUGALL 2,745,662

WINDOW REGULATOR Filed June 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. W

BY $9M, (Q Jf @bzud ATTORNEYS J. A. MCDOUGALL- U d tattt .Paefi Q WINDOW REGULATOR John A. McDougall, Garden City, Mich, assignor to Ford Motor (Jompany, Dearborn, Mich, a corporation or Delaware Application June 2, 1953, Serial No. 359,022

Claims. (Cl. 268-104) This invention relates generally to window regulators for motor vehicle windows, and has particular reference to a window regulator adapted to bodily move a window both vertically and longitudinally in a predetermined path.

Motor vehicle windows are usually mounted for vertical sliding movement in vertical guideways, or for pivotal swinging movement about a fixed transverse axis. In certain installations, however, clearance problems in connection with various components of the vehicle body may make it impractical to lower the window into the body with either a vertical sliding or a pivotal movement. The window regulator of the present invention is particularly designed to operate a vehicle window under such conditions.

The foregoing objective is attained by employing a window regulator having a pivotally mounted actuated member which in turn slidably supports an arm connected to the window. The efi'fective length of the regulator arm is thus variable and is employed in connection with a vehicle window which must move longitudinally as well as vertically to avoid certain obstructions and to lower the window into the space available.

The invention also contemplates controlling the position of the regulator arm with respect to the pivotally mounted actuated member so that the eifective length of the regulator arm is varied in a predetermined manner as the pivotally mounted actuated member is operated to raise or lower the window. In one form of the invention this is accomplished by providing a cam of predetermined contour upon the vehicle body for engagement with a cam follower carried by the regulator arm to control the sliding movement of the regulator arm relative to the actuated member and to move the point of connection between the regulator arm and the window both longitudinally and vertically in a predetermined nonlinear and nonradial path determined by the contour of the cam. Another point on the vehicle window may be guided in a preselected path in cooperation with the regulator mechanism so as to efiect bodily movement of the window between its closed and open positions.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, particularly when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View, partly broken away and in section, of a portion of a motor vehicle body incorporating the window regulator mechansim of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illustrating the window regulator mechanism and window in a partially lowered position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 but illustrating the window regulator mechanism and window in another position, still further lowered.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figures 1, 2 and 3 but illustrating the window regulator mechanism and the window in a completely lowered position.

2,745,662 P t nted Ma 5: 1956 Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line 66 of Figure l.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1, the reference character 11 indicates generally a motor vehicle body having a roof panel 12 and a side panel 13. A rear window 14 is fixedly mounted in the roof panel 12, and a quarter window 16 having a metal frame 17 is mounted for bodily movement between the raised or closed position shown in Figure l and the lowered or open position shown in Figure 4. In the open position the quarter window is completely housed within the window well provided in the vehicle body adjacent the side panel 13.

In the present instance the space available to house the quarter window in its lowered position is rather limited, due to the location of the body pillar 18 rearwardly of the forward edge of the quarter window and the location of the rear wheel house 19 partially forwardly of the rearward extremity of the quarter window. As a result of these body components the quarter window 16 cannot be moved between its closed and open positions either by a direct vertical movement or by a pivotal movement, but instead must be bodily moved in a predetermined irregular path having both longitudinal and vertical movements so as to avoid the body pillar 18 and the wheel house 19.

A circular actuated member 21 is pivotally mounted upon the side panel 13 of the vehicle body for pivotal movement about a transverse horizontal axis 22. The member 21 is provided on its periphery with gear teeth 22 extending partially around its circumference and arranged to be engaged by a driving pinion 23 which in turn is actuated by an operating handle 24 to rotate the member 21.

An elongated regulator arm 26 is mounted upon and carried by the circular actuated member 21. The regular arm 26 is made hollow for lightness and is guided by radial sliding movement upon the member 21' by means of tour guide rollers 27 engageable with the opposite side edges of the arm. It will be noted that the guide rollers 27 are arranged symmetrically with respect to'thc axis 22of the member 21 so as to provide for sliding movement of the regulator arm 26 in a direction radially of the member 21.

The lower end of the regulator arm 26 supports a roller or cam follower 28 engageable with a contoured cam guideway 29 mounted upon the body side panel; The cam guideway 29 is so contoured as to vary the position of the regulator arm 26 upon the circular actuated member 21 in a predetermined manner by requiring sliding movement of the regulator arm upon the circular member as the latter is rotated by the operating handle 24. The cam guideway is asymmetrically arranged with respect to the axis 22 of the circular actuated member 21.

The opposite or upper end of the regulator arm 26 is pivotally connected at 31 to a bracket 32 depending from the lower portion of the window frame 17. The frame bracket 32 is also-provided with an arcuate slot 33 receiving a pin 34 carried by a'projection 36 of the regulator arm 26. With reference to Figure 6, it will be seen that the slot 33 is V-shaped in cross section and that the pin 34 has a conical enlargement 35 engaging one side of the slot. A spring urged washer 37 frictionally engages the other side of the slot to laterally stabilize and support the quarter window 16 as it is being lowered and raised.

A guideway 41 of predetermined contour is mounted upon the body side panel 13 above the wheelhouse 19, and receives a roller or cam follower 42 mounted upon the lower rearward extremity of the quarter window frame 17. The guideway 41 and roller 42 provide for movement of the rearward extremity of the window in a predetermined path as the window is operated by means of the regulator mechanism.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 which illustrates the position of the regulator mechanism and the window after the latter has been partially lowered to an intermediate position. Rotation of the handle 24 and pinion 23 rotates the circular actuating member 21 and since the cam follower 28 at the lower end of the regulator arm 26 engages the cam guideway 29 the regulator arm 26 slides relative to the actuated member 21 as the latter is rotated The rollers 27 permit this sliding movement of regulator arm, and it will be seen that the effective length of the regulator arm from the pivotal axis 22 to the pivotal connection 31 is shortened. Consequently the pivotal connection 31 between the regulator arm and the window frame moves, not in a circumferential path with respect to the axis 22 but in an irregular path determined by the contour of the cam guideway 29. During this initial operation of the regulator arm 26 the roller 42 at the rearward extremity of the quarter window is guided by the guideway 41 to a position adjacent the juncture between the two straight portions of the guideway, and the forward corner 44 of the quarter window frame is moved along a path 46 to a position clearing the upper extremity of the body pillar 18.

Subsequent operation of the handle 24 to further lower the window rotates the circular actuated member 21 and the regulator arm carried thereby in a clockwise direction, and Figure 3 illustrates a second intermediate position of the regulator mechanism and the window attained when the cam follower 28 at the lower end of the regulator arm reaches an intermediate point of the cam guideway 29. At this time, the effective length of the regulator arm 26 between the

pivotal axes

22 and 31 is reduced to its minimum value.

Further lowering of the window by the regulator mechanism results in moving the mechanism and the window to the fully lowered or open position as shown in Figure 4, in which the efiective length of the regulator arm has again been varied. The particular contour of the

guideways

29 and 41 are predetermined so as to provide for bodily movement of the quarter window in such manner as to clear the obstructions created by the body pillar 18 and the wheelhouse 19 and to lower the window completely below the belt line 45 of the body into the available space. It will be apparent that by varying the contour and location of the cam guideway 29 the effective length of the regulator arm can be varied as required to meet the particular requirements of the installation at hand, and the window can be moved in a predetermined irregular path having both vertical and longitudinal components. i It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a window control mechanism for bodily moving a window in a vehicle body, an actuated member pivotally mounted on said body, an arm carried by said actuated member and operatively connected to the lower portion of said window, said arm being bodily slidably zyrszgeez 4 mounted on said member to vary the effective length of said arm, and cam means on said body cooperating with said arm to vary the position of said arm relative to said member as the latter is rotated.

2. The structure defined by claim 1 which is further characterized in that said cam means comprises a guideway mounted upon said vehicle body and engaged by a cam follower carried by said arm to effect bodily sliding movement of said arm radially of said pivotally mounted actuated member as the latter is rotated.

3. in a window control mechanism for bodily moving a window in a vehicle body, an actuated member pivotally mounted on said body, means for rotating said member, a regulator arm slidably mounted upon said actuated member for sliding movement radially of said member, said regulator arm projecting beyond opposite sides of said actuated member and having one end thereof con-' nected to the lower portion of said window, and guide means connected to the other end of said regulator arm to constrain the latter to move in a predetermined noncircumferential path relative to the pivotal axis of said actuating member to effect sliding movement of said regulator arm relative to said actuating member as the latter is rotated to vary the effective length of the regulator arm from the pivotal axis of said actuated member to the point of connection between the end of said regulator arm and the window.

4. In a window control mechanism for bodily moving a window in a vehicle body, a roller carried by said window adjacent the rearward end thereof, a guideway mounted upon said vehicle body for receiving said roller to guide the rearward portion of said window in a predetermined path both longitudinally and vertically, a pivotally mounted actuated member, a regulator arm slidably mounted upon said actuated member for sliding movement with respect thereto, means pivotally connecting one part of said regulator arm to an intermediate portion of said window, a second guideway mounted upon said vehicle body, a roller carried by another part of said regulator arm engageable with said second guideway to effect sliding movement of said regulator arm as the latter is rotated, said second guideway being shaped so as to initially decrease the efiective length of said regulator arm as the window is lowered and to subsequently increasethe effective length thereof as the window approaches its fully opened position to initially move said window bodily rearwardly and thereafter to bodily lower said window into the vehicle body.

5. Window regulator mechanism for a motor vehicle window comprising a regulator arm mounted for pivotal movement about a transverse axis and for lengthwise sliding movement relative to said axis, means connecting one portion of said regulator arm to said window, and cam means engageable with another portion of said regulator arm constraining movement of said second portion in a predetermined path to vary the effective length of said regulator arm during rotative movement of said regulator arm about said transverse axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS