US3449861A - Automatic winding window regulators - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1969 A. LECOMTE AUTOMATIC WINDING WINDOW REGULATORS Filed June 9, 1967 June 17, 1969 A. LECOMTE AUTOMATIC WINDING WINDOW REGULATORS Sheet Filed June 9, 1967 Inueno Mum-.

United States Patent 3,449,861 AUTOMATIC WINDING WINDOW REGULATORS Alexandre Lecomte, Billancourt, France, assignor to Regie National des Usines Renault, Billancourt, France Filed June 9, 1967, Ser. No. 645,040 Claims priority, application France, Aug. 1, 1966,

71,597 Int. Cl. EOSf /16, 11/34, 11/52 US. Cl. 49349 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an automatic mechanism, driven by an electric motor, for operating a winding window of a vehicle and is concerned more particularly with automatic regulators for winding windows mounted in doors having a relatively narrow or contorted shape closely connected to the general design of the vehicle.

Known window regulators wherein electrical means are incorporated for actuating the winding windows, notably inside vehicle doors, comprise as a rule an electric motor secured to the glass channel or support and the winding window is driven through a train of gears actuated by said motor and meshing with racks secured to the door panel and acting as a guide member during the glass movements.

However, as a rule devices of this general type are applicable only if the thickness of the vehicle door provides a space width sufficient to house the complete mechanism and permit the glass movements along a substantially curved path, if necessary.

On the other hand, if the door is of relatively reduced thickness or has a contorted form, designers are confronted with the problem arising from the over-all dimensions of the motor and of the parts associated therewith.

Some space can further be gained by using curved racks but these are considerably more expensive than conventional rectilinear racks.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a more flexible mounting of the motor and reduction unit with a view to use recilinear racks. To this end, instead of rigidly securing the motor and reduction unit to the winding window support, this unit is suspended by means of its output shaft; as this output shaft is mounted in bearings rigid with said support, the motor and reduction unit can oscillate about the shaft axis. Under these conditions, when the glass is lowered and the driving pinion has nearly completed its downward travel at the lower end of the rack, the motor and reduction unit can oscillate about its output and suspension shaft, thus avoiding any contact between said unit and the outer panel of the door and permitting the inward movement of the unit due to the provision of suitable guide means.

Of course, in the case of still narrower doors, further space can be gained by combining the advantages resulting from the above-described floating mounting of the motor and reduction unit with the use of a curved rack.

The automatic winding window regulator according to this invention which comprises a unit consisting of an electric motor and a reduction gearing having keyed on its output shaft with a pinion in meshing engagement with a fixed rack, is characterised in that said motor and reduction unit is suspended by means of said output shaft to the glass support so that said unit can oscillate about the axis of said shaft which remains constantly parallel to itself during the glass movements.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary section illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical form of embodiment of the present invention, the section being taken upon the broken line II of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary section taken upon the line II-II of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 3 is another fragmentary section taken upon the line IIIIII of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view showing the complete device, and

FIGURE 5 is a section taken upon the broken line V-V of FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURES l, 2 and 3 of the drawing, the winding window 1 is carried by its support or channel 2 in conjunction with other parts associated therewith in two endmost positions; the glass is shown in thick lines in its closed position and in dash-and-dot lines in its open position;

A bracket 3 secured to said channel 2 has secured thereto a T-sectioned guide member 4 of suitable plastic material having a low coefiicient of friction, shown in cross-section in FIGURE 5.

A bearing 5 is also secured to said channel 2. The output shaft of the motor and reduction unit 7 is suspended from the glass channel 2 between said bearing 5 and a bearing-forming projection 8 of guide member 4, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The details concerning the motor and reduction unit 7 of reduced thickness and having its output shaft in a plane other than that of the motor shaft are described in applicants copending patent application No. 615,725 filed on Feb. 13, 1967, now Patent 3,414,319 issued Dec. 3, 1968.

Keyed on shaft 6 is a pinion 9 in constant meshirg engagement with a rack 10 having a rectilinear set of teeth which is mounted on a fixed support 11 rigid with the rectilinear slideway 12 in which the guide member 4 is slidably fitted.

A lateral lip 13 extending throughout the length of the aforesaid fixed support 11 is provided for guiding the lower portion of the motor and reduction unit 7 formed to this end with a pivotally mounted slotted head 14 made of a plastic material having a low coefiicient of friction.

As shown in FIGURE 1, this lip 13 has a curved lower portion 15 whereby, due to its engagement with the slotted head 14, the motor and reduction unit 7 can be inclined or oscillated as required to prevent same from contacting the external panel 16 of the door which otherwise it would obviously engage.

In FIGURE 2 the position of the rectilinear rack 10 is clearly visible, its fixed support 11 extending well below the rack as shown in FIGURE 3.

Although the present invention has been described with many details, it will be readily understood by anybody conversant with the art that it should not be construed as being limited by the specific form of embodiment described and illustrated herein, as many modifications and variations may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Besides, to facilitate the sliding movements of the windin-g window, the materials of the surfaces in mutual sliding contact are selected to have the minimum coefiicient of friction and the position of the guide member is advantageously selected to cause the center of gravity of the movable portion of the device to lie in close proximity of said guide member in order to reduce frictional reactions. To the same end, when the movable assembly is relatively important, the guiding action may be devolved to two guide members instead of one, and the driving action may be divided among two pinions and corres ponding fixed racks disposed on either side of the assembly.

I claim:

1. An automatic regulator mechanism for operating a winding window of a vehicle comprising a window glass support, an electric motor and reduction unit suspended from said support and having an output shaft, a rectilinear rack mounted on a fixed support rigid with a rectilinear slideway, at least one pinion mounted on said output shaft in meshing engagement with said rack, said motor and reduction unit being suspended by means of said output shaft and being capable of swinging about the axis of said shaft which remains constantly parallel to itself and in the same position relative to said window glass support.

2. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a bearing at one end of said window glass support adapted to engage one end of said motor and reduction unit shaft, and a plate on the other end of said window glass support, a T-sectioned guide member mounted on said plate and provided with a second bearing member adapted to engage the opposite end of said shaft.

3. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said guide member is axially movable in said rectilinear slideway, to carry out a staright movement with said output shaft of said motor unit.

4. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a slotted pivoting head secured to the lower portion of said motor and reduction unit and serving to guide said unit in its swinging movements, and a suitably shaped lateral guiding lip extension of said fixed support of said rack received by a slot in said pivoting head.

5. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said T-sectioned guide member is made of a plastic material having a low coeflicient of friction.

6. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said slotted pivoting head is made of a plastic material having a low coefficient of friction.

7. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said lateral guiding lip extension extends in a plane parallel to the mean surface of said fixed support down to its lower end, and is curved underneath to cause said motor and reduction unit to recede along the external door panel.

8. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the outer edge of said guiding lip lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said motor unit output shaft.

9. An automatic regulator mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said output shaft comprises a pinion adjacent each of its ends and meshing each with a relevant fixed rack.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,336,530 12/1943 Chandler et al 49349 2,947,569 8/1960 McDougall 49349 X 3,125,334 3/1964 Lohr 49-358 3,312,017 4/1967 Witherspoon et al. 49 -360 FOREIGN PATENTS 851,436 10/ 1960 Great Britain.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

I. KARL BELL, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

Images