Window lifter plate assembly with belt driven adjustment mechanism

Abstract

A lifter plate assembly for a window of a motor vehicle includes a body having at least one rail guide hook configured to slidably receive a window regulator rail. A window clamping plate is coupled to the main body, the window clamping plate providing a receiving portion for receiving an edge of a window therein. A drive member housing is coupled for relative movement with the body. An adjustment mechanism is provided for changing the position of the window clamping plate relative to the drive member housing. A tool engagement portion for receiving an adjustment tool is provided, and a link assembly connects the tool engagement portion to the adjustment mechanism to facilitate changing the position of the window clamp plate relative to the drive member housing, where the link assembly does not include intermeshing gears.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 536,323, filed on September 1, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle window assemblies, and more particularly to vehicle window assemblies and adjustable window regulator lifter plates for vehicle window assemblies. Background Art

[0004] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0005] In many motor vehicle door assemblies, an outer sheet metal door panel and an inner sheet metal door panel are connected together to define an interior door cavity between the outer sheet metal door panel and the inner sheet metal door panel. An equipment module or subassembly, generally referred to as a carrier module or simply a carrier, is typically mounted to the inner door panel within the interior door cavity. The carrier generally serves to support various door hardware components, including: a window regulator rail, the window regulator rail being configured to support a lifter plate that is selectively capable of sliding movement along the window regulator rail; and a window regulator motor, generally referred to as a window regulator, which is used to drive the lifter plate along the window regulator rail. The lifter plate is secured to the window so that the window slides up and down with the lifter plate in the direction of a guide channel within the window regulator rail in response to powered actuation of the window regulator.

[0006] During assembly and servicing of the carrier module, and in particular the window and lifter plate, it is desirable to be able to adjust the vertical z-direction of the lifter plate so that the upper edge of the window is in airtight sealing engagement with the upper window seal. The current regulating mechanism can be bulky, occupying excessive width between the outer sheet metal door panel and the inner sheet metal door panel. Due to the multiple gears arranged in meshing engagement with each other between the drive mechanism and the driven mechanism, the width extending in the cross-vehicle direction is considered to be excessive. As a result, the overall size and weight of the door assembly is increased, which has a negative impact on the design constraints of the motor vehicle.

[0007] In view of the above, there is a need to provide a carrier module and an adjustable riser plate therefor that is reduced in size, lightweight, and complexity while being economical to manufacture and assemble. Summary of the invention

[0008] This section provides a general summary of the present disclosure and is not intended to be a comprehensive enumeration of all features, advantages, aspects, and objects associated with the inventive concepts described and illustrated in the detailed description provided herein.

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an adjustable riser plate assembly that addresses at least some of the problems discussed above with respect to known adjustable riser plate assemblies.

[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a carrier module with an adjustable lifter plate assembly that addresses at least some of the problems discussed above with respect to known carrier modules with adjustable lifter plate assemblies.

[0011] In accordance with the above objectives, one aspect of the present disclosure provides an adjustable riser plate assembly that has a minimal cross-vehicle width, is strong, sturdy, rigid and durable, while being lightweight and economical to manufacture and assemble.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a lifter plate assembly for a window of a motor vehicle includes a main body having at least one rail guide hook configured to slidably receive a window regulator rail. A window clamping plate is coupled to the main body, the window clamping plate being used to provide a receiving portion for receiving an edge of the window therein. A drive member housing is coupled to the main body for movement relative to the main body. An adjustment mechanism is provided for changing the position of the window clamping plate relative to the drive member housing. A tool engagement portion is provided for receiving an adjustment tool, and a coupling assembly connects the tool engagement portion to the adjustment mechanism for facilitating changing the position of the window clamping plate relative to the drive member housing, wherein the coupling assembly does not include a meshing gear.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the adjustment mechanism is a linear actuator assembly comprising an internally threaded member and an externally threaded member arranged to move relative to each other, and the coupling assembly comprises a belt configured to rotate the externally threaded member in response to manual rotation of a tool engagement portion via an adjustment tool to cause relative movement between the internally threaded member and the externally threaded member.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the tool engagement portion is fixed to the drive member and the driven member is fixed to the externally threaded member, and the belt couples the drive member to the driven member so that the driven member is driven by the belt to move the drive member housing relative to the body in response to movement of the drive member.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a lifter plate assembly for a window of a motor vehicle includes a body having at least one rail guide hook configured to slidably receive a window regulator rail. A window clamping plate is coupled to the body, the window clamping plate being configured to provide a receiving portion for receiving an edge of the window therein. A collar housing is coupled to the body for movement relative to the body. The linear actuator assembly includes a drive member and a driven member spaced apart from the drive member, and a belt coupling the drive member to the driven member. The driven member is configured to be driven by the belt to move the collar housing relative to the body in response to movement of the drive member.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a linear actuator assembly includes an externally threaded member and an internally threaded member configured to threadably engage with each other. The internally threaded member is fixed to a collar housing to move together with the collar housing in response to rotation of the externally threaded member.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the internally threaded member is formed as an integral thread in the material of the ferrule housing.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an externally threaded member is fixed to a driven member for common rotation therewith in response to movement of a drive member.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the drive member has drive teeth, the driven member has driven teeth, and the belt has belt teeth configured to meshingly engage the drive teeth and the driven teeth.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the drive member is configured to be manually driven by a tool.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a carrier assembly is provided. The carrier assembly includes a window regulator rail and a lifter plate assembly, which is configured to slide along the window regulator rail. The lifter plate assembly includes a main body having at least one guide rail guide hook, and the at least one guide rail guide hook is configured to slidingly receive the window regulator rail. A window clamping plate is connected to the main body, and the window clamping plate is used to provide a receiving portion for receiving the edge of the window therein. A collar housing is connected to the main body for movement relative to the main body. The linear actuator assembly includes a driving member and a driven member spaced apart from the driving member, and a belt connecting the driving member to the driven member. The driven member is configured to be driven by the belt to move the collar housing relative to the main body in response to movement of the driving member.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a lifter plate assembly for a window of a motor vehicle includes: a body having at least one guide rail guide hook, the at least one guide rail guide hook being configured to slidably receive a window regulator guide rail; a window clamping plate coupled to the body, the window clamping plate being used to provide a receiving portion for receiving an edge of the window therein; a drive member housing coupled to the body to move relative to the body; a linear actuator assembly coupled to the drive member housing, the linear actuator having a driven member, a drive member, and a belt coupling the drive member to the driven member, the driven member being driven by the belt to move the drive member housing relative to the body in response to movement of the drive member. In a related aspect, a tool engagement portion is fixed to the drive member, the tool engagement portion being configured to receive an adjustment tool. In a related aspect, the tool engagement portion is formed in a through hole of the drive member. In a related aspect, the linear actuator assembly includes an externally threaded member and an internally threaded member configured to move relative to each other, the drive member being fixed to the externally threaded member. In a related aspect, the internally threaded member is fixed to the drive member housing to move together with the drive member housing in response to rotation of the externally threaded member. In a related aspect, the drive member has drive teeth, the driven member has driven teeth, and the belt has belt teeth configured to mesh with the drive teeth and the driven teeth. In a related aspect, the internally threaded member is formed as threads in the material of the drive member housing.

[0023] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.The description and specific examples in this summary are intended merely to illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected non-limiting embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In this regard, the drawings include:

[0025] Figure 1 An automotive vehicle having a door assembly with a lifter plate for a window according to an aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0026] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a frameless door assembly according to an illustrative embodiment is shown. Figure 1 Door components;

[0027] Figure 2 The diagram shows a structure constructed according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 1 a carrier module and a lifter plate of a door assembly;

[0028] Figure 3 The diagram is shown as being assembled to Figure 1 Door components Figure 2A carrier module, wherein the barrier is folded back;

[0029] Figure 4 The diagram is shown fully assembled to Figure 1 Door components Figure 2 Carrier modules and barriers;

[0030] Figure 5 illustrates a rear perspective view of a riser plate assembly supporting a window of a motor vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

[0031] Fig. 6A Pictured Figure 5 A rear perspective view of a lifter plate assembly;

[0032] Figure 6B Pictured Figure 5 A front perspective view of a lifter plate assembly;

[0033] Figure 7 Pictured Figure 5 A top perspective view of a lifter plate assembly;

[0034] Figure 8 Pictured Figure 5 a rear perspective view of a lifter plate assembly of , wherein the tool is shown positioned to drive a drive member of the lifter plate assembly;

[0035] Fig.9A The diagram shows a window support. Figure 5 a side view of a lifter plate assembly;

[0036] Fig. 9B Pictured Fig.9A A partial enlarged view of

[0037] Fig.10 Pictured Figure 5 An exploded view of the riser plate assembly;

[0038] FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C Pictured Figure 5 A rear side view of a lifter plate assembly, wherein Fig.11A shows the ferrule housing moved to the upper position, Fig. 11B shows the ferrule housing moved to an intermediate position, and Fig. 11C The ferrule housing is shown moved to a lower position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The non-limiting embodiments of the motor vehicle closure panel and the lifter plate assembly for the motor vehicle closure panel will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For this purpose, example embodiments of the lifter plate assembly are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the expected scope to those skilled in the art. Therefore, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the specific non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure, many specific details such as examples of specific parts, devices and methods will be described. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the specific details do not need to be adopted, the example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of different ways, and the example embodiments should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In some parts of the example embodiments, known processes, known device structures and known technologies are not described in detail.

[0040] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments, and are not intended to be restrictive. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular "one", "a kind of" and "the" may also be intended to include plural forms. The terms "include", "include", "contain" and "have" are inclusive, and therefore specify the existence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts described, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups. Unless specifically indicated in the order of execution, the method steps, processes and operations described herein should not be interpreted as requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or illustrated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be adopted.

[0041] When an element or layer is referred to as "on another element or layer", "engaged to", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, the element or layer may be directly located on another element or layer, engaged to another element or layer, connected to another element or layer or coupled to another element or layer, or there may be an intervening element or layer. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly on another element or layer", "directly engaged to", "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may not be an intervening element or layer. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements (for example, "between" and "directly between", "adjacent" and "directly adjacent", etc.) should be interpreted in a similar manner. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any combination and all combinations of one or more of the associated enumerated items.

[0042] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used in this article to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Unless the context clearly indicates, terms such as "first", "second" and other numerical terms do not imply sequence or order when used in this article. Therefore, the first element, first component, first region, first layer or first section discussed below can be referred to as the second element, second component, second region, second layer or second section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0043] For ease of description, spatially relative terms, such as "inside", "outside", "below", "below", "lower", "above", "upper", "top", "bottom", etc., may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figure. Spatially relative terms may be intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation other than the orientation depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, the elements described as "below" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented "above" other elements or features. Therefore, the example term "below" can cover both the above and below orientations. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated a certain degree or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 The door assembly 10 is shown mounted to a body 12 of a motor vehicle 14. By way of example and not limitation, the door assembly 10 includes an outer panel 16, an inner panel 18 ( Figure 3), intrusion member 19, and a frameless door carrier module, which is hereinafter referred to as carrier 20. Carrier 20 has: a pair of carrier members 33A, 33B, the pair of carrier members 33A, 33B providing window regulator rails, the window regulator rails including respective A-pillar window regulator rails 34A and B-pillar window regulator rails 34B; and a plurality of door hardware components operably mounted to carrier members 33A, 33B. In this non-limiting example, at least some of the door hardware includes a power-operated window regulator 36 having an electric motor-driven cable 38 driven around an upper pulley 40 of each carrier member 33A, 33B and a lower pulley 42 of each carrier member 33A, 33B. In addition to other components that may be provided but not shown, the other hardware components shown are well understood by those skilled in the art and therefore need not be described. A pair of lifter plate assemblies, hereinafter referred to as lifter plates 44, constructed in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure are supported for sliding motion along separate window regulator rails 34A, 34B for moving a window 46 up and down within a pair of glass travel channels 48. The glass travel channels 48 may be provided separately from the A-pillar carrier member 33A and the B-pillar carrier member 33B, or, by way of example and not limitation, the glass travel channels 48 may be integrally formed as a single piece of material with the A-pillar carrier member 33A and the B-pillar carrier member 33B, such as in a molding operation. For reasons discussed in more detail below, the lifter plates 44 have a relatively narrow width across the vehicle (W) as compared to known lifter plate assemblies. Fig.9A ), having high strength, solidity, rigidity and durability, while being lightweight and economical to manufacture and assemble.

[0045] The outer panel 16 forms at least a portion of the outer surface of the door assembly 10. The inner panel 18 provides a structural member for mounting one or more trim components that form the inner surface of the door assembly 10. If desired, some of the inner panels 18 may also themselves form a portion of the inner surface of the door assembly 10. The outer panel 16 and the inner panel 18 are connected together to provide a door panel structure 17 that forms an inner door cavity 22 ( Figure 3 ), the inner door cavity 22 accommodates various components of the door assembly 10, including at least a portion of the carrier 20. To facilitate assembly of the components into the cavity 22, the inner panel 18 has at least one opening, and by way of example and not limitation, the at least one opening is shown as a pair of openings 24. The openings 24 are shown as being formed on opposite sides of the inner panel 18, wherein a central support member or rail 26 extends between the openings 24.

[0046] A pair of hinges 28 are connected to the door panel structure 17 and pivotally mount the front end of the door panel structure 17 (and the door assembly 10) to the vehicle body 12. A door latch 30 is mounted to the rear end of the door panel structure 17 to allow releasable closure of the door assembly 10 on the vehicle body 12. The hinges 28 and the door latch 30 serve as force transfer members for transmitting forces in the door assembly 10 to the vehicle 14. Such forces include, for example, side impact forces from another vehicle or object colliding with the vehicle 14.

[0047] The carrier 20 is shown as having a barrier member, which is shown as a foldable barrier member 32 by way of example and not limitation, which is capable of being attached to the A-pillar carrier member 33A and the B-pillar carrier member 33B of the carrier 20, although the orientation of the A-pillar carrier member 33A and the B-pillar carrier member 33B may be reversed if desired. The barrier member 32, which is intended to function as both a fluid (water) barrier and a sound barrier, may be formed of any suitable fluid / sound barrier material as desired to meet the necessary specifications. In addition, to facilitate assembly, including ensuring that the barrier member 32 is properly positioned and secured in a sealed relationship relative to the inner panel 18, the barrier member 32 may be formed with a locating feature 54, shown as a concave recess, which is configured to cooperate with a corresponding locating feature 56, shown as a convex protrusion, located on at least one of the separate carrier members 33A, 33B ( Figures 2 to 4 ). The locating features 54, 56 may be formed to provide a close interference fit with each other.

[0048] See also Figure 1A By way of example and not limitation, the door assembly 10 is shown as being configured as a frameless door assembly, whereby the window 46 is not constrained by a frame extending from a door panel structure, such as from the outer panel 16 and / or the inner panel 18, such that when the window 46 is in a closed position, such as in Figure 1A , the window 46 can be sealed relative to the vehicle body 12 against which it is abutted when the door assembly 10 is latched or closed against the vehicle body 12. Figure 1A When fully extended upward as shown and the door assembly 10 is released or opened from the vehicle body 12 against which it rests, the window 46 will not be restrained by a support frame, such as the vehicle body 12, so that the illustrative bending force 23 ( Figure 1A) may produce lateral or side-to-side stresses on the window regulator components, which, as will now be described in more exemplary detail, are different from the following stresses: upward and downward stresses experienced during opening and closing of the window 46 that would otherwise be absorbed by the door assembly 10 having a frame extending from the door panel structure to surround the window 46. Another example of a frameless door assembly is described in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application No. 20190078366, entitled “Lightweight two piece frameless door module with adjustment features”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0049] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the lifter plate 44 has a sliding / lifter plate base also referred to as a body 50. By way of example and not limitation, the body 50 may be formed of any desired high strength material, and to best reduce weight, the body 50 may be formed entirely of a plastic material, such as in an injection molding process. The body 50 has an inner side 52 facing the cavity 22 of the door panel structure 17 and an outer side 53 facing away from the cavity 22. The body 50 includes a pair of rail guide hooks 58 formed therein, wherein the rail guide hooks 58 may be formed to have any suitable shape configured to slidably receive the window regulator rails 34A, 34B in the rail guide hooks, such as configured to form a generally L-shaped slot, or otherwise shaped to retain the window regulator rails 34A, 34B in the slot. The guide rail guide hooks 58 are laterally spaced apart from each other, and in order to facilitate smooth sliding along the window regulator guide rails 34A, 34B, a lubricating insert 60, also referred to as a bushing, such as a bushing that may be formed of a bushing-grade polymer material or a metal material, may be provided to line the inner surface of the guide rail guide hooks 58, such as by snap-fitting, insert molding, or otherwise incorporating therein and extend between the inner surfaces of the guide rail guide hooks 58 where desired.

[0050] The lifter plate 44 also includes a window clamping plate, also referred to as a glass clamp 62; a pressure plate 64; and a drive member housing, also referred to as a collar housing 66. The window clamping plate 62 is shown sandwiched between the body 50 and the pressure plate 64. The window clamping plate 62 has a slot, also referred to as a receiver 68, which is configured for slidingly receiving the bottom edge of the window 46 therein. Fastener assembly ( Fig.10) includes an elongated externally threaded member 70, such as a bolt, and an internally threaded member 72, such as a nut, the elongated externally threaded member 70 being sized for receipt through an opening (not shown) preformed in the window 46. The elongated threaded member 70 extends through an opening 74 in the body 50, through an opening 76 in the window clamp plate 62, and through an opening 78 in the pressure plate 64. At least one of the elongated threaded member 70 and the nut 72 is rotatable relative to the other to move the pressure plate 64 into clamping engagement with the window clamp plate 62, thereby sandwiching and compressing the window clamp plate 62 between the body 50 and the pressure plate 64, wherein a clamping force is provided and ensures that the window 46 is held in a desired position and in a fixed relationship within the receiving portion 68 of the window clamp plate 62.

[0051] The drive member housing or ferrule housing 66, also referred to as the cable connector body, is configured to fixedly receive the free end of the drive cable 38 in the ferrule housing 66, wherein the free end of the drive cable may have a ferrule 69 fixed thereto, hence the ferrule housing 66. To facilitate noise reduction, a resilient buffer 80, such as rubber, may be fixed to at least one end of the ferrule housing 66.

[0052] An adjustment mechanism is provided as a linear actuator assembly 82 to facilitate movement of the collar housing 66 relative to the body 50, wherein the adjustment mechanism 82 can precisely position the upper edge 88 of the window 46 relative to the window seal. The linear actuator assembly 82 includes a drive member 84 and a driven member 86 spaced apart from the drive member 84. The link assembly for connecting a tool engagement portion 84a fixed to the drive member 84 to the driven member 86 and to the adjustment mechanism 82 does not include meshing gears, but is shown as including a flexible connector, such as a belt 90 that connects the drive member 84 to the driven member 86. As other non-limiting examples, the flexible connector can also include, for example, a cable or rope connector. For example, the adjustment mechanism 82 does not include meshing gears each having meshing teeth that are in direct contact with each other. The tool engagement portion 84a can be formed in a through hole of the drive member 84. The driven member 86 is driven by the belt 90 to move the collar housing 66 relative to the body 50 in response to the movement of the drive member 84. The linear actuator assembly 82 also includes an externally threaded member 92, such as a bolt, and an internally threaded member 94, also referred to as a nut, configured for relative movement with respect to each other. According to a non-limiting aspect, the externally threaded member 92 is configured to be directly threadedly engaged with the internally threaded member 94. The internally threaded member 94 is fixed to the collar housing 66 to move together with the collar housing 66 in response to the rotation of the externally threaded member 92. As an example and not a limitation, the internally threaded member 94 can be formed as one or more integral threads in the material of the collar housing 66, such as in a molding process. The externally threaded member 92 is fixed to the driven member 86 to rotate together with the driven member 86 in response to the movement of the drive member 84 and the movement of the belt 90 driven by the movement of the drive member 84. The drive member 84 can be provided with a plurality of drive teeth 96, and the driven member 86 can be provided with a plurality of driven teeth 97, wherein the belt 90 can be provided with belt teeth 98, and the belt teeth 98 are configured to mesh with the drive teeth 96 and the driven teeth 97. Thus, movement of the belt 90 in response to rotation of the drive member 84 causes the driven member 86 to be simultaneously driven in rotation. As the driven member 86 rotates, the co-rotation of the externally threaded member 92 causes the internally threaded member 94 to translate up and down along the length of the externally threaded member 92 depending on the direction of rotation of the threaded member 92. Thus, when the collar housing 66 is in an intermediate position between the opposite ends of the externally threaded member 92 ( Fig. 11B ), the drive member 84 can be selectively manually rotated in a first direction, such as by way of example and not limitation, manually rotated via a manually operated tool 99. The tool 99 can be vertically inserted between the outer door band reinforcement 93 and the inner door band reinforcement 95, and in particular between the outer door reinforcement and the window 46, wherein rotation of the tool 99 and the drive member 84 in the first direction causes the belt 90 to rotate the driven member 86 in a corresponding first direction to move the collar housing 66 upward relative to the body 50 to the upper end of the externally threaded member 92 ( Fig.11A ). Thus, the upper edge 88 of the window 46 can be easily adjusted in an elevated manner to sealingly engage with a window seal (not shown) along the roof line. By way of example and not limitation, the tool 99 can be inserted into an appropriately shaped tool engagement portion, also referred to as a receiving portion 84a, such as an engagement portion 84a formed within the drive member 84. The receiving portion 84a can be formed to have a mating shape that mates with an end or engagement portion of the tool 99, such that when the tool 99 is inserted and rotated in a desired clockwise or counterclockwise direction, the drive member 84 is caused to be rotatably driven together with the tool 99. Conversely, the drive member 84 is caused to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction via the tool 99, causing the belt 90 to rotate the driven member 86 in a corresponding second direction opposite to the first direction, so that the collar housing 66 moves relative to the body 50 to the lower end of the externally threaded member 92 ( Fig. 11C ). Thus, the upper edge 88 of the window 46 can be easily adjusted in a lowered manner to make a desired sealing engagement with the window seal (not shown) along the roof line. Thus, the position of the upper edge 88 of the window 46 can be easily adjusted by selectively rotating the drive member 84 in a direction corresponding to the upward or downward movement of the collar housing 66 via the tool 99.

[0053] Since the belt 90 transmits torque from the drive member 84 to the driven member 86 , no additional gears are required in the linear actuator assembly 82 and therefore, the effective size and particularly the width W may be minimized, thereby allowing the space required for the linear actuator assembly 82 to be minimized.

[0054] While the above description constitutes several embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the present invention is susceptible to further modification and variation without departing from the fair meaning of the appended claims.

[0055] For the purpose of illustration and description, the foregoing description of the embodiment has been provided. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the present disclosure. Each element or feature of a particular embodiment is generally not limited to the particular embodiment, but even if not specifically shown or described, each element or feature of a particular embodiment is also interchangeable when applicable and can be used in a selected embodiment. Each element or feature of a particular embodiment can also be changed in many ways. These variations should not be considered to be out of the present disclosure, and all these modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A lifter plate assembly for a window of a motor vehicle, the lifter plate assembly comprising: a body having at least one rail guide hook configured to slidingly receive a window regulator rail; a window clamping plate, the window clamping plate being coupled to the main body, the window clamping plate being used to provide a receiving portion, the receiving portion being used to receive an edge of the window in the receiving portion; a drive member housing coupled to the body for movement relative to the body; an adjustment mechanism for changing the position of the window clamping plate relative to the drive member housing; a tool engagement portion for receiving an adjustment tool; as well as A linkage assembly connects the tool engagement portion to the adjustment mechanism to facilitate changing the position of the window clamping plate relative to the drive member housing, wherein the linkage assembly does not include meshing gears.

2. The lifter plate assembly of claim 1, wherein: The connection assembly includes a flexible connection.

3. The riser plate assembly of claim 1, wherein: The adjustment mechanism is a linear actuator assembly.

4. The riser plate assembly of claim 3, wherein: The linear actuator assembly includes an externally threaded member and an internally threaded member configured for relative movement with respect to one another.

5. The riser plate assembly of claim 4, wherein: The internally threaded member is fixed to the drive member housing for common movement therewith in response to rotation of the externally threaded member.

6. The riser plate assembly of claim 5, wherein: The link assembly includes a band configured to rotate the externally threaded member in response to manual rotation of the tool engagement portion via the adjustment tool.

7. The lifter plate assembly of claim 6 further comprising a drive member and a driven member, the belt coupling the drive member to the driven member, the driven member being driven by the belt to move the drive member housing relative to the body in response to movement of the drive member.

8. The riser plate assembly of claim 7, wherein: The tool engagement portion is fixed to the drive member.

9. The riser plate assembly of claim 7, wherein: The internally threaded member is formed as a thread in the material of the drive member housing.

10. The riser plate assembly of claim 7, wherein: The externally threaded member is fixed to the driven member for common rotation therewith in response to movement of the drive member.

11. The riser plate assembly of claim 7, wherein: The drive member has drive teeth, the driven member has driven teeth, and the belt has belt teeth configured to meshingly engage the drive teeth and the driven teeth.

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