WINDOW ELECTRIC DEVICE, ESPECIALLY FOR VEHICLE WINDOWS

Description

DESCRIPTION of the industrial invention entitled: Window lifter device, particularly for vehicle windows by: LAMORAZIONI MECCANICHE SPECIALI LAMES Sas di PELLEGRI N. & C., Italian nationality, Via S. Rufino, 29 - 16043 Chiavari (Genoa) Designated inventor: Pierluigi PERAZZO Filed: May 24, 1996 Ο / ν'ΊβΠΊ | U ? Q >1 J « 0 0 J * * * DESCRIPTION This refers to a window regulator device, particularly for vehicle windows, of a type comprising: a translation assembly comprising a fixed rail extending in the direction of movement of the glass and a slide sliding along the rail and supporting the glass; a drive unit comprising a fixed box, a drum rotatable within the box, and means for driving rotation of the drum; and a transmission comprising a pair of flexible sheaths each having a first end anchored to the box and a second end anchored to the box. ί connected to the translation group, and a sliding rope- 2 JACOBACCI & PERANI S.pA SA / sr vole in both sheaths, wrapping around the drum and having two opposite ends associated with the translation group. The known technique closest to the invention is a window regulator device in which the second ends of the flexible sheaths are anchored to brackets fixed to the respective upper and lower ends of the rail. The ropes protruding from these ends of the sheaths are both guided along the rail by pulleys or similar transmission devices and end up on the slide, to which they are anchored. These well-known devices are relatively expensive to manufacture, due to the presence of brackets, pulleys, or similar components, and the pins on which the pulleys rotate. The cost of welding the brackets to the ends of the rail adds to the cost of manufacturing and assembling these parts. The purpose of the invention is to create a window regulator device which, while offering the functional advantages of known devices of the same category, has a lower cost, thanks to the absence of the aforementioned brackets and their pulleys or similar transmission organs. JACOBACCI & PEDANI S.p.A. - 3 According to the present invention this object is achieved by means of a window regulator device of the type considered, characterised in that: the aforementioned second ends of the sheaths are anchored to the slide; the slide has a pair of internal cable-guiding ducts that extend between mouths to which said second ends of the sheaths are anchored, respectively, and respective opposite outlets facing respective opposite ends of the rail; and the two opposite ends of the cable are anchored to the respective ends of the rail so as to extend parallel to the rail itself in a respective section included between the respective and the respective ends of the rail. The solution idea that underlies the invention overturns the traditional operating principle of window regulators in which two opposite branches of a cable slide in respective flexible sheaths: according to the invention, the slide that supports the glass, in addition to performing the known function of supporting the glass, also performs the function of diverting the force of the two branches of the cable towards the thrust axis of the glass, a function that normally JACOB ACCI & FERACI S.p.A. - 4 mind is fulfilled by the pulleys or similar return devices which are located at the ends of the rail on which the sled slides. This arrangement is permitted by the flexibility of the sheaths, whose ends, far from the control unit, follow the sled in its up and down movements. This same arrangement, thanks to the flexibility of the sheaths, does not impose strict constraints regarding the length of the rail and its distance from the control unit, meaning that the same window regulator device can be installed, without modification, on various vehicle models. Compared to known window regulators of the same category, the device according to the invention, thanks to the elimination of brackets, pulleys, etc., also has the advantage of being lighter. The invention was conceived for its application to motor vehicle doors, but it can be applied in different fields, both to vehicles in general and, for example, to building doors and windows. The features and advantages of the invention will appear better from reading the description. JAC08ACCÌ & PERANI S.pA - 5 detailed information that follows, made with reference to the attached drawings, given as a non-limiting example and in which: Figure 1 is a schematic elevation view of a motor vehicle door, illustrating its internal arrangement with a window regulator device according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a larger-scale view of the portion of the device of Figure 1 which includes the rail and its slide; Figure 3 is an even larger-scale view illustrating, among other things, the slide of Figure 2, partially broken away, and a portion of the rail; and Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to that of Figure 3, illustrating three further embodiments of the invention. Referring to Figure 1, a motor vehicle door comprises a sheet metal casing, designated as a whole by 10, with a cut-out upper portion, constituting a window frame 12, and with a lower compartment 14. In the casing 10 there is mounted a glass 16 which slides between a raised position, in which it is located JACOBACCI & PEDANI S.p.A. - 6 in frame 12, and an at least partially lowered position in compartment 14. To raise and lower the glass 16, a translation unit designated as a whole by 18 is fixed in compartment 14. The translation group 18 comprises a fixed rail 20 which extends in the direction of movement of the glass 16 and a slide 22 which slides along the rail 20 and which supports the glass 16 starting from a lower median area thereof. Also fixed in compartment 14 is a control unit 24 which, in a known manner, comprises a fixed box 26, a drum 28 which rotates in the box 26 and means for actuating the rotation of the drum 28, in this case an electric gearmotor 30. The translation group 18 and the control group 24 are interconnected by a transmission comprising a pair of flexible sheaths 32, 34. A first end, respectively 36 and 38, of each of these flexible sheaths is anchored to the box 26; a second end of each of the sheaths 32, 34, consisting of a respective terminal 40, 42, is associated with the translation group 18 and, according to the invention, is anchored to the slide 22, all as is better illustrated in figures 2 and 3. JACOBACCI & PERANI S.p.A. - 7 Referring to figures 2 and 3, the slide 22, which is mounted in a known manner on the rail 20, is made of a block, preferably of a robust plastic material with a low coefficient of friction, such as a polyamide or polytetrafluoroethylene. The block constituting the slide 22 is preferably made up of a pair of joined half-shells, in each of which are obtained impressions that jointly define two ducts, which will be discussed later. A pin 44 is formed in one piece with the block or one of its parts, which serves as a support for the crystal 16 of figure 1. The aforementioned transmission comprises, in addition to the flexible sheaths 32, 34, a cable sliding in both sheaths, winding in a known manner on the drum 28 of figure 1, and having two opposite ends associated with the translation group 18, in the manner that will now be clarified. The two opposite branches of the rope that depart from the drum are indicated by 46 and 48 respectively. According to the invention, the slide 22 has a pair of internal ducts for guiding the two branches 46, JACOBACCI & PERANI S.p.A. - 8 48 of the cable. These ducts extend between the mouths to which the terminals 40, 42 of the sheaths 34, 32 are anchored, respectively, and respective opposite outlets facing opposite ends of the rail 20. The two opposite ends of the rope are anchored to the respective ends of the rail 20 by means of respective terminals 54, 56. Thus, the two opposite branches of the rope have respective sections, designated 46a, 48a respectively, which extend parallel to the rail 20 from the outlet of the respective duct 50, 52. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the two ducts 50, 52 cross each other without intersecting inside the slide 22. Of these ducts, the one designated 50 extends along a curved path starting from an opening located in an upper corner area of ​​the slide 22, on the side of the control unit. This opening has an axis converging downwards with respect to the rail 20. The duct 50 ends in an outlet located on a lower side of the slide 22 and facing the lower end of the rail 20. The other duct 52 also extends along a curved path starting from an opening JACOBACCI & PERANI S.p.A. - 9 located in a lower corner area of ​​the slide 22, always on the side of the control unit 18 (figure 1). The axis of this mouth converges upwards with respect to the rail 20. The duct 52 ends with an outlet located on the upper side of the slide 22 and facing the upper end of the rail 20. Figure 4 shows a second embodiment in which the internal ducts of the slide do not intersect. In figure 4, the parts equal or similar to those in figure 3 have been designated for simplicity with the same numerical references. One of the internal ducts 50 extends along a substantially 90° curved deviation path, starting from an upper mouth (corresponding to the terminal 40 of the upper sheath 32) located on one side of the slide 22 facing the control unit 18 (figure 1) and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail 20. The duct 50 ends with an outlet located on the upper side of the slide 22 to divert the terminal section 46a of the cable upwards towards the upper end of the rail 20. The other internal duct 52 of the slide 22 is JACOBACCI & PERANI S.p.A. - 10 extends along a substantially 90° curved deviation path starting from a lower mouth (corresponding to the terminal 42 of the lower sheath 34) located on the same aforementioned side of the slide 22 and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail 20. The lower duct 52 ends with an outlet located on the lower side of the slide 22 and facing the lower end of the rail 20, to divert the section of cable 48a downwards. The third embodiment of Figure 5 is similar to the embodiment of Figure 3, in that the two ducts of the slide cross each other without intersecting. Also in figure 5, for simplicity's sake, the same reference numbers have been used to designate the parts that are the same or similar to those in the previous figures. In figure 5 an internal duct 50 extends along a curved path starting from an upper mouth (corresponding to the terminal 40 of the sheath 32), located on one side of the slide 32 facing the control unit 18 (figure 1) and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail 20. The duct 50 ends, as in JACGBACCi & PERANI S.p.A. - 11 figure 3, with an outlet located on the lower side of the slide 22. The other duct 52 extends along a curved path from a lower mouth (corresponding to the terminal 42 of the sheath 34) located on the same aforementioned side of the slide 22 and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail 20. The duct 52 opens on the upper side of the slide 22, as in the embodiment of figure 3. In Figure 6, which illustrates a fourth embodiment of the invention, for simplicity's sake the same reference numbers have again been used to designate parts that are the same or similar to those in the previous figures. Even in the embodiment shown in figure 6, the two ducts 50, 52 cross each other without intersecting inside the slide 22. The duct 50 extends along a curved path starting from an opening (corresponding to the terminal 40 of the upper sheath 32) located on one side of the slide facing the control unit 18 (figure 1) and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail 20. Conduit 50 opens at the lower end JACDBACGl & PERANI S.pA - 12 of the sled, as in the embodiment of figure 5. The other duct 52 extends instead along a straight path, substantially parallel to the rail 20, from a lower mouth (corresponding to the terminal 42 of the lower sheath 34), up to an outlet located on the upper end. Of course, the arrangement of figure 5 could be reversed. Likewise, a sled might have a pair of straight ducts parallel to each other and to the rail, with inlets and outlets located on opposite ends respectively. This last embodiment and the one illustrated in figure 6 may not be suitable for installation in a vehicle door, due to the fact that the transmission part corresponding to the upper sheath 32 could be difficult to contain within a compartment such as the one indicated with 14, avoiding that it protrudes above the lower edge of the window frame. However, they could be used, in conjunction with a similar window regulator, to operate a window by means of two JAC0BACC1 & PESAMI Sp A - 13 slides associated with its two end edges. An application of this kind would lend itself to the operation of bus windows, train carriages and building windows. JACOBACGI & RERAN! S.p.A. -

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Window lifter device, particularly for vehicle windows, of the type comprising: a translation unit ( 18) comprising a fixed rail (20) extending in the direction of movement of the glass (16) and a slide (22) sliding along the rail and supporting the glass; a control unit (24) comprising a fixed box (26), a drum (28) rotating in the box and means (30) for rotating the drum; and a transmission comprising a pair of flexible sheaths (32, 34) each having a first end (36, 38) anchored to the box (26) and a second end (40, 42) associated with the translation unit (18), and a cable (46, 48) sliding in both sheaths (32, 34), wound around the drum (28) and having two opposite ends associated with the translation unit; characterized by the fact that: the aforementioned second ends of the sheaths (32, 34) are anchored to the slide (22);the slide (22) has a pair of internal ducts (50, 52) for guiding the cable (46, 48) which extend between the mouths to which the second ends (40, 42) of the sheaths (32, 34) are anchored, respectively, and respective opposite outlets facing respective opposite ends of the rail (20); and the two opposite ends of the cable (46, 48) are anchored to the respective ends of the rail (20) so as to extend parallel to the rail itself in a respective section (46a, 48a) between the respective outlet and the respective end of the rail.; 2. Window lifter device according to claim 1, characterised in that (figure 3) the two ducts (50, 52) cross each other without intersecting inside the slide (22), one (50) of the ducts extends along a curved path from an opening located in an upper corner area of ​​the slide (22), on the side of the control unit (18), and having an axis converging downwards with respect to the rail (20), to an outlet located on a lower side of the slide (22) and facing towards the lower end of the rail (20), and the other duct (52) extends along a curved path from an opening located in a lower corner area of ​​the slide (22), on the side of the control unit (18), and having an axis converging upward ... on one upper side of the sled (22) and facing the upper end of the rail (20).

3. Window lifter device according to claim 1, characterised in that (figure 4) one of the internal ducts (50) of the slide (22) extends along a substantially 90° curved deviation path, from an upper mouth located on one side of the slide (22), facing the control unit (48), and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail (20), to an outlet located on an upper side of the slide (22) and facing the upper end of the rail (20), and the other internal duct (52) of the slide (22) extends along a substantially 90° curved deviation path, from a lower mouth, located on the same aforementioned side of the slide (22), and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail (20), to an outlet located on a lower side of the slide (22) and facing the lower end of the rail (20).

4. Window lifter device according to claim 1, characterised in that (figure 5) the two ducts (50, 52) cross each other without intersecting inside the slide (22), one (50) of the ducts extends along a curved path from an upper opening located on one side of the slide (22), facing towards the control unit (18), and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail (20), to an outlet located on an upper side of the slide (22) and facing towards the upper end of the rail (20), and the other duct (52) extends along a curved path from a lower opening located on one side of the slide (22), facing towards the control unit (18), and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail, to an outlet located on an upper side of the slide (22) and facing the lower end of the rail (20).

5. Window lift device according to claim 1, characterised in that (figure 6) the two internal ducts (50, 52) of the slide (22) cross each other without intersecting inside the slide (22) and in that one (50) of the internal ducts of the slide extends along a curved path from an opening located on one side of the slide facing the control unit (18) and having an axis substantially perpendicular to the rail (20), to an outlet located on one end of the slide and facing a corresponding end of the rail (20), and the other duct (52) extends along a straight path, parallel to the rail, from an opening located on one end of the slide (22) opposite the aforementioned end, to an outlet located on the other end.

6. Window lift device according to claim 5, characterised in that (figure 6) the duct (50) which follows the curved path has an outlet located at a lower end of the slide (22) and facing the lower end of the rail (20), and the mouth of the straight duct (52) is located at this lower end.

7. A window regulator device according to claim 1, characterised in that the two internal ducts of the slide extend along straight paths parallel to each other and parallel to the rail, one from an inlet located at an upper end of the slide to an outlet facing the lower end of the rail, and the other from an inlet located at a lower end of the slide to an outlet facing the upper end of the rail.

8. Window regulator device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by JACOBACCI & PERANI SpA, in that the slide is made up of a pair of joined half-shells, in each of which are obtained impressions that jointly define the two ducts. (fo pevprid e#er ig. / \ ngeìj PER INCARICO JACOBACCI & PERANI SpA