WO2003058017A1

WO2003058017A1 - Method and equipment for repairing a glass lift device for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2003058017A1
Application number: PCT/EP2003/000104
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carluccio Rettagliati
Original assignee: E.Co. S.R.L.
Priority date: 2002-01-09
Filing date: 2003-01-06
Publication date: 2003-07-17
Also published as: BR0302175A; ITTO20020025A1; AU2003235785A1; ITTO20020025A0

Abstract

A method for effecting repairs onto a glass lift device of the type comprising two parallel guide members (2, 3); with sliders (4, 5) intended to be fixed to the glass to be actuated and connected to an endless flexible cable whose trajectory is determined by idle return pulleys (11, 12, 13, 14); on a branch of said trajectory being inserted a driving electric motor reducer group (15) and springs (16, 17) which keep under tension the cable; The method comprises; a first step in which a limit is imposed to the expansion freedom of the springs a second step in which the cable is caused to disengage from a return pulley and is pulled only along a short distance; - a third step ; in which the cable is positioned again on the idle return pulleys overcoming the reduced spring tension by a pull limited to a short distance and finally a fourth step in which the limit formerly imposed to the expansion freedom of the springs is released. The invention also concerns an equipment intended to help effecting said method.

Description

DESCRIPTION

METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR REPAIRING A GLASS LIFT DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE

This invention has for its object a method and an equipment for ef- fecting repairs onto an electric glass lift device of a vehicle.

The type of electric glass lift device to which this invention refers comprises two parallel guide members on which travel sliders of plastic material, intended to be fixed to the glass to be actuated, and connected to an endless flexible cable which is arranged according to a crossed trajectory shaped like a oo , determined by idle return pulleys; on a branch of said trajectory, which extends within sheath lengths, are inserted a driving electric motor reducer group and springs which, by acting onto the sheath lengths, keep under strong tension the cable, in order to prevent clearances in the glass actuation.

A frequent breakdown of this type of glass lift device is due to the breakage of one of said sliders made of plastic material, which then should be replaced. This replacement, and also other repairs, are hampered by noticeable difficulties because the flexible cable is kept under strong tension, whereby it is difficult to disengage the same from the return pulleys, and when it disengages, it is puiled with violence by the springs along a noticeable length and therefore it slips out of the workers hands. This disengagement operation, however, may not be needed if, as it sometimes happens, the breakage of the slider or any other breakdown took place in such a way as to cause the relaxation and disengagement of the cable.

Above all, after the replacement of the broken slider, or other needed repair, the cable should be engaged again on the return pulleys, restoring the spring tension by a strong pull extended over a long stretch. In an attempt to facilitate these operations, the return pulleys are provided with notches intended to be overcome by the cable during the disengagement thereof from the return pulleys as well as during the re-engagement, however this measure is not sufficient for facilitating the operation in a substantial manner, whereby in the practice this operation can be effected, always with great difficulty, only by workers having special skill and experience.

Therefore, one of the objects of this invention is to provide a method which allows to render easy and executable by any workman the operations connected with the repair of a glass lift device of the kind referred to.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap equipment, suitable for reducing at a minimum the difficulties involved in im- plementing the method of the invention.

The method according to the invention comprises a first step, in which a limit is imposed to the expansion freedom of the springs that tension the cable (which springs, if needed, are compressed), and a second step in which (when needed) the cable is caused to disengage from a return pulley, whereby the springs attain the expansion limit imposed in the first step of the method, and the cable becomes devoid of tension and is pulled only along a short distance. At this point the replacement of the broken slider, or any other needed repair, may be accomplished according to the known technique. After completion of the repair, one reverts to the method of the invention, that now shows a third step, in which the cable is positioned again on the idle return pulleys, overcoming the spring tension by a pull that now is limited to a short distance, and finally a fourth step, in which the limit formerly imposed to the expansion freedom of the springs is suppressed, thus re-establishing the whole operation ability of the glass lift device. By proceeding in this way, when the cable should be disengaged from a return pulley, it is pulled by the springs only along a very limited stretch because, due to the expansion limit imposed to them, the springs cannot freely expand, and therefore the cable has no tendency to retract noticeably and to escape from the control of the worker. In those cases in which the cable was already disengaged due to the breakage of the slider, the expansion limit is imposed to the springs after having compressed the same, an operation which does not involve any .difficulty because it can be effected independently from any other operation. When, subsequently, the cable should be positioned again onto the return pulleys, the stretch along which the cable should be pulled by overcoming the spring action is very limited, whereby the operation offers only a little part of the usual difficulty.

The equipment of the invention comprises a member suitable for limiting the expansion of the springs, intended to be hooked to the sheaths or to other members near to the end portions of the springs, in order to limit to a short stretch the expansion freedom allowed to the springs, this hooking op- eration being effected, when needed, after having compressed the extended springs; and comprises an operating lever particularly shaped for facilitating the operations of disengaging and re-engaging the cable with respect to a return pulley. Preferably, the member suitable for limiting the expansion of the springs consists of a bracket comprising a core and two arms, the core having a length slightly larger than the distance shown, in the normal conditions of the glass lift device, by the opposite end portions of the springs, and each arm being shaped like a fork whose gap is slightly larger than the diameter of the members located at the end portions of the springs. This limiting member may be manufactured in a cheap way from a metal draw piece.

In this way, the expansion limiting member is simply engaged by its arms on the sheath lengths, while the core, is positioned astride the springs and the motor reducer group; when needed, the springs are compressed in or- der to effect this hooking operation. Then the limiting member is kept in position during all the subsequent operations by the spring themselves, which tend to expand, and it is finally left free by the springs when these latter are charged again, whereby the limiting member may then be taken away without any effort. The operating lever comprises an engagement member shaped for being coupled in rotation with a return pulley, a winding member solid with said engagement member and displaced both in the axial and radial directions with respect to the same, and a maneuver lever arm solid with both said engagement and winding members and extending in a direction at least approximately perpendicular to the axes of said members. This operating lever may be manufactured at low cost by forming a plastic material.

In this way, the operating lever may be engaged with the return pulley chosen for the operation of cable disengagement, when this operation is needed, and it is caused to rotate by acting on the lever arm, while simultane- ously applying to the cable a transverse push intended to engage the same into one of the pulley notches. Then the cable comes out of the pulley groove and it is wound around the winding member. Because this latter member is eccentric, a further rotation of the lever allows to gradually lowering the tension of the disengaged cable, while the springs expand in the reduced meas- ure allowed by the expansion limiting member mounted on them. In order to position again the cable, after the broken slider has been replaced or any other repair has been accomplished, a loop of the cable is engaged around the winding member of the lever, and the engagement member is coupled with the pulley. By causing the lever .to rotate, the eccentric wind- ing member put the cable under tension by compressing the springs, and then it is sufficient to engage the cable, by a transverse push, in a notch of the pulley, and to further rotate the lever, for engaging the cable into the pulley groove, whereby the cable assumes again its original operating position. Of course, such operation is possible only due to the presence of the expansion limiting member, thanks to which the length on which the springs are to be compressed is very limited, and can be caused by the eccentricity of the winding member.

At the end of the operation, the expansion limiting member is disengaged from the springs, the operating lever is disengaged from the pulley, and the tools are taken away.

Because the operating lever should be suitable for engaging one of the return pulleys, and these latter have different shapes in different .glass . lift , devices, the operating lever should be manufactured in different models, whose engagement member is each time suitably shaped in order to co- operate with the return pulleys of different models of glass lift devices..

These and other features, objects and advantages of the subject of this invention will appear more clearly from the following description of two embodiments, having the character of not limiting examples, with -reference -to the annexed drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows an example of a glass lift device to which the present invention can be applied.

Figure 2 shows in perspective an embodiment of an expansion limiting device according to the invention.

Figure 3 shows in perspective a first embodiment of an operating lever according to the invention, seen from below.

Figure 4 shows in perspective the operating lever according to Figure 3, seen from above.

Figure 5 shows in perspective a second embodiment of an operating lever according to the invention. Figures 6 through 9 diagrammatically show different steps of the op- erations effected according to the method of the invention.

With reference to Figure 1 , a glass lift device of the type to which this invention refers includes, on a supporting plate 1 , a first guide member 2 and a second guide member 3, along which are slidably mounted two sliders 4 and 5 to which, when the device is in operation, is fixed the glass to be operated. To the sliders 4 and 5 is connected a continuous cable, which is arranged according to a crossed trajectory (a trajectory shaped like a oo ) having a first branch 6 extending along the first guide member 2, between return pulleys 1 1 and 12 located respectively at the first end and at the second end of the first guide member 2, a second branch 7 extending along the second guide member 3, between return pulleys 13 and 14 located respectively at the first end and at the second end of the second guide member 3, a third inclined branch 8 extending between the return pulley 12 located at the second end of the first guide member 2 and the return pulley 13 located at the first end of the second guide member 3, and a fourth branch whose first section extends, inside a sheath 9, from the return pulley 14 located at the ^"second end of the second guide member 3 up to a driving motor reducer group 15, and whose second section extends, inside a sheath 10, from the driving motor reducer group 15 up to the return pulley 1 1 located at the first end of the first guide member 2. Between the sheath 9 and the body of the driving motor reducer group

15 is mounted a first pre-compressed spring 16, and between the sheath 10 and the body of the driving motor reducer group 15 is mounted a second pre- compressed spring 17. By acting between the body of the driving motor reducer group 15 and the sheaths 9 and 10, the springs 16 and 17 keep under tension the whole continuous cable.

The weak points of this glass lift device are both sliders 4 and 5, which are subject to breakages and, in this case, are to be replaced. Sometimes the breakage of a slider causes the disengagement of the cable from the return pulleys and the relaxation of its tension. Of course, however, when this spontaneous disengagement did^ot take place, in order to proceed to any repair it is needed that the cable'tension be temporarily suppressed by compressing the springs 16 and 17, and then the cable be caused to disengage from at least one of the return pulleys 1 1 to 14, this latter operation allowing the springs 16 and 17 to expand again. This involves a certain difficulty due to the strong cable tension, and then, when the cable disengages from the return pulley, it likely escapes to the worker under the strong action of the expanding springs, and it may also give rise to damages.

But the more serious difficulty is encountered after the broken slider has been replaced (or any other. repair . effected), when the cable should be engaged again on the pulleys against the traction of the springs. This operation involves applying a strong pull to the cable, until the springs are compressed, and this along the entire expansion stroke of the springs, while simultaneously the cable is engaged onto a pulley. Such double operation is difficult and heavy even for a skilled workman. The object of the invention is therefore to facilitate both the operation of disengaging the cable, when it is needed, and above all the operation of again engaging the cable under tension, this latter operation being always needed in any case of repair.

To this purpose, the method of the invention includes a first step which consists in restricting the springs 16 and 17 by imposing a limit to their expansion freedom. In those cases in which the cable did not spontaneously disengage due to the breakdown, the springs still are compressed and it is sufficient to install the limiting device in order to limit their subsequent expansion. In those cases in which, on the contrary, the cable has disengaged and the springs have expanded, they should first be compressed in order that the limiting device can be installed, but this operation does not show special difficulties because it is not to be effected simultaneously with any other operation.-

The second step of the method involves disengaging the cable. Of course, this step is to be effected only in those cases in which the cable did not formerly disengage due to the occurred breakdown. It is substantially facilitated in that, when disengaging, the cable is pulled by the springs only along the short stretch which is allowed by the limit. imposed to the spring expansion, whereby the cable does not escape to the worker.

After the above step, one proceeds to the replacement of the broken slider, or any other repair needed, by operating in the. usual way.

When the repair has been accomplished, the cable should be engaged again onto the return pulleys. This operation is effected, in the third step of the method according to the invention, while the springs have only a limited expansion. Therefore the cable is to be pulled along a short distance only, and this substantially facilitates the operation. Finally, with the fourth step of the method, the limit imposed to the spring expansion is suppressed, and this operation cannot show any difficulty because at that moment the springs are under compression again, and they exert no action on the limiting device.

Therefore, the method according to the invention substantially facili- tates the whole of the operations connected with the repair. Moreover, it allows developing a special equipment, described in the following, which is a subject of this invention too, and renders definitively easy the whole of the operations.

Figure 2 shows a very simple embodiment of an expansion limiting de- vice to be applied to the springs 16 and 17 in the first step of the method according to the invention. It comprises a bracket including a core 20 and two arms 21 and 22. The core 20 has a length slightly larger than the distance shown, in the normal conditions of the glass lift device, by the means connecting the springs 16 and 17 to the sheath lengths 9 and 10, and each arm 21 or 22 is shaped like a fork whose gap is slightly larger than the diameter of the sheath lengths 9 and 10. This tool may be manufactured in a cheap way from a metal draw piece.

As shown in Figure 6, bracket 20 is inserted according to the arrows F1 with the forks of arms 21 and 22 hooked to the end portions of the springs 16 and 17, which still are compressed or have been brought to the compressed state. Thereafter the bracket acts as a limiting device by allowing the springs 16 and 17 only a short stretch of expansion when the cable is disengaged from the return pulleys. When subsequently, after the accomplishment of the repair operation, the cable is engaged and tensioned again, the springs 16 and 17, which at that time are compressed, do not hamper the removal of bracket 20-22.

Figure 3 shows an operating lever intended to facilitate the disengagement and the re-engagement of the cable with respect to a return pulley. This operating lever includes an engagement member 30 which is so shaped as to allow its coupling with a return pulley, a. winding member 31 . which is solid with said engagement member 30 but is displaced both in axial and radial direction with respect thereto, and a maneuver lever arm 32 which is solid with both engagement member 30 and winding member 31 and extends in a direction at least nearly perpendicular to the axes of said members. Such a tool may be manufactured in a cheap way by forming a plastic material. Figures 7 through 9 explicate the use of this operating lever during the operation of re-engagement of the cable onto a return pulley, for example the return pulley 13. Of course, the operation of disengagement, which is reciprocal with respect to the re-engagement operation to be described, may be ef- fected by simply inverting the order and direction of the operations needed for re-engagement, whereby no separate description and representation thereof will be necessary.

As shown in Figure 7, the engagement member 30 of the operating lever is coupled with the pulley 13, and a loop of cable 7 is located around the winding member 31 . This is easy because the cable is not under tension and it has not been retracted a long distance by the springs 16 and 17, whose extension is limited by the bracket 20-22. In the absence of this latter, the above operation would have required to exeft a pull under high tension and along a large distance on the cable 7. Thereafter, the operating lever is turned according to the curved arrow

F2 until the position shown in Figure 8. Due to this^" rotation, the winding member 31 , being eccentric with respect to the engagement member 30 and, therefore, with respect to the return pulley 13, applies a traction onto the cable 7, thus compressing the springs 16 and 17; the cable loop comes down from the winding member 31 around the engagement member 30, adjacent pulley 13. Then, by pressing the cable 7 by a finger, as shown in Figure 8, the cable can be engaged in a notch of pulley 13.

By turning according to arrow F3, the operating lever is brought to the position shown in Figure 9. The cable 7 is dragged by the notch of pulley 13 and takes its normal operating position on this pulley. Then the operating lever 30-32 and the bracket 20-22 may be removed. The operation is thus accomplished. As it may be remarked, executing the different steps of the process does not involve any of the difficulties which commonly are connected with the usual operations intended to the same purpose. It may be remarked that the use of the. complete equipment of the in- vention, including both the limiting device and the operating lever, affords the maximum advantages and renders all operations very easy. However, as it appears from the foregoing, even the use of the limiting device only, without the aid of the operating lever, or the use of the operating lever only, without the aid of the limiting device, noticeably facilitate some of the operations. Therefore, not only the complete equipment is a subject of the invention, but also both component parts thereof.

The operating lever should be coupled with a return pulley of the glass lift device, and therefore its engagement member 30 should be shaped in a manner complementary to the shape of the return pulley. So the operating lever is devoted to a specific model of glass lift device, and it should be manufactured in different shapes for operating on different models of glass lift devices.

Figure 5 shows an operating lever intended to operate on a glass lift device of a model different from that taken in consideration until now. The operating lever according to Figure 5 is embodied in a shape different from that of Figures 3 and 4, however it always includes an engagement member 40 having a shape adapted to the shape of a return pulley, a,*winding member 41 displaced both in axial and radial directions with respect to the engagement member 40, and a maneuver lever arm 42 extending about perpendicularly to the axes of the members 40 and 41.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown by way of examples. Several possible changes are within the capacity of a skilled person, both in view of design choices and, particularly, for render the equipment suitable in the best way for the different applications. These and other modifications, as well as any replacement by technically equivalent means, may be made to what has been described and shown, without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of this Patent as stated by the appended Claims.

Claims

1 . A method for effecting repairs onto a glass lift device of the type comprising two parallel guide members on which travel sliders of plastic material intended to be fixed to the glass to be actuated and connected to an end- less flexible cable which is arranged along a crossed trajectory, shaped like a oo , determined by idle return pulleys, on a branch of said trajectory, which extends within sheath lengths, being inserted a driving electric motor reducer group and springs which keep under tension the cable, characterized in that it comprises: - a first step in which a limit is imposed to the expansion freedom of the springs that tension the cable (which springs, if needed, are compressed); - a second step in which (when needed) the cable is caused to disengage from a return pulley, whereby the springs attain the expansion limit imposed in the first step of the method, and the cable becomes devoid of tension and is pulled only along a short distance; - a third step (started after having accomplished the repair according to the known technique) in which the cable is positioned again on the idle return pulleys, overcoming the spring tension by a pull limited to a short distance; - and finally a fourth step in which the limit formerly imposed to the expansion freedom of the springs is suppressed, thus re-establishing the whole operation ability of the glass lift device.

2 . A method as set forth in Claim 1 , . characterized in that the limit to the expansion freedom ^" of the springs is imposed by engaging .with said springs, or with members connected therewith, a restriction member arranged for opposing to an expansion of the springs beyond a pre-established limit.

3 . A method as set forth in Claim 1 , characterized in that the opera- tions of positioning again the cable and, when needed, of disengaging the cable from the return pulleys, are effected with the aid of a special tool.

4 . An equipment for implementing a method as set forth in one or more of the foregoing Claims, characterized in that it comprises a member suitable for limiting the* expansion o the springs,- intended to be hooked near the end portions of the springs in order to limit to a short stretch the expansion freedom allowed to the springs, this hooking operation being effected, when needed, by compressing the springs.

5 . An equipment as set forth in Claim 4, characterized in that the member suitable for limiting the expansion of the springs consists of a bracket comprising a core and two arms, the core having a length slightly larger than the distance shown, in the normal conditions of the glass lift device, by the opposite end portions of the springs, and each arm being shaped like a fork whose gap is slightly larger than the diameter of the members forming the end portions of the springs.

6 . An equipment as set forth in Claim 4, characterized in that the member suitable for limiting the expansion of the springs is manufactured from a metal draw piece.

7 . An equipment for implementing a method as set forth in one or more of the Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises an operating lever particularly shaped for facilitating the operations of disengaging and engaging again the cable with respect to a return pulley.

8 . An equipment as set forth in Claim 7, characterized in that the operating lever comprises an engagement member shaped for being coupled in rotation with a return pulley, a winding member solid with said engagement member and displaced both in the axial^" and radial directions with respect to the same, and a maneuver lever arm solid with both said engagement and winding members and extending in a direction at least approximately perpendicular to the axes of said members. ι

9 . An equipment as set forth in Claim 7, characterized in that the operating lever is manufactured by forming a plastic material.

10 . An equipment as set forth in Claim 7, characterized in that the operating lever is manufactured in different models, whose engagement member is each time suitably shaped in order to co-operate with the return pulleys of different models of glass lift devices.

1 1 . A method and an equipment for executing repairs on a glass lift device, characterized by -the peculiarities, arrangements and operating steps as they appear from the above specification and annexed drawings, or replaced by technically equivalent means, taken in their whole, in their various combinations or separately.