Window regulator and method for mounting guide rail

Abstract

To improve the mounting workability of a guide rail.SOLUTION: A window regulator includes a guide rail 11, a carrier plate 12, a rising side wire 13 and a falling side wire 14, a rotating drum 22, and a drum housing 23 provided at the lower end of the guide rail 11 to house the rotating drum 22. The guide rail 11 has a bottom plate section 31 and a right-side plate section 32 erected from the bottom plate section 31. The drum housing 23 is provided with a fitting hole 73 into which the lower end of the guide rail 11 is inserted in a fitting manner, a first fitting guide wall 81 which is formed so as to extend from the edge of the fitting hole 73 so that a rear inner surface 73a of the fitting hole 73 extends upward and guides the bottom plate section 31 to the fitting hole 73, and a second fitting guide wall 82 which is formed so as to extend from the edge of the fitting hole 73 so that a right inner surface 73b of the fitting hole 73 extends upward to guide the right-side plate section 32 to the fitting hole 73.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a window regulator and a method for attaching a guide rail. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an example of a wire-driven window regulator is a bottom rail-type window regulator in which a drive unit is disposed at the bottom end of a guide rail (see Patent Document 1). This window regulator includes a guide rail arranged along the direction in which the vehicle window glass is raised and lowered, a wire (cable) that pulls a carrier plate, a drum that winds and feeds the wire, and a drum housing that is arranged at the bottom end of the guide rail and has an accommodation space for accommodating the drum. In this window regulator, a fitting hole is formed in the drum housing into which the bottom end of the guide rail is fitted, and the guide rail can be attached to the drum housing by inserting and fitting the bottom end of the guide rail into the fitting hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-165087 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional window regulators, when attaching a guide rail to a drum housing, it is necessary to visually check the position of the fitting hole, align the guide rail with the fitting hole, and then move the guide rail toward the fitting hole and insert it into the fitting hole. This has resulted in a problem of poor workability when attaching the guide rail.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a window regulator and a method for installing a guide rail that can improve the workability of installing the guide rail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a window regulator comprising: a guide rail arranged along the raising and lowering direction of a vehicle window glass; a carrier plate that supports the window glass and is slidably attached to the guide rail; a wire that pulls the carrier plate; and a rotating drum that rotates to wind and pay out the wire, wherein the guide rail has a flat plate portion extending in the raising and lowering direction and a side plate portion erected from the flat plate portion, and the carrier plate is formed with an insertion portion into which the guide rail is inserted, a first insertion guide wall that extends from the front edge of the insertion portion in the insertion direction so as to extend a first inner surface of the insertion portion toward the front side in the insertion direction and that guides the flat plate portion to the insertion portion, and a second insertion guide wall that extends from the front edge of the insertion portion in the insertion direction so as to extend a second inner surface of the insertion portion toward the front side in the insertion direction and that guides the side plate portion to the insertion portion.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a method for attaching a guide rail to the carrier plate in the above-mentioned window regulator, characterized in that the flat plate portion and the side plate portion are brought into contact with the first insertion guide wall and the second insertion guide wall, respectively, and then the guide rail is inserted into the insertion portion by moving the guide rail toward the insertion portion while sliding the flat plate portion and the side plate portion against the first insertion guide wall and the second insertion guide wall, respectively. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The window regulator and the method for installing a guide rail according to the present invention can improve the workability of installing the guide rail. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall schematic view showing a window regulator according to an embodiment of the present invention and a vehicle door to which the window regulator is attached. [Figure 2] (a) is a front view showing the window regulator when the window glass is fully closed, (b) is a front view showing the window regulator when the window glass is fully open, and (c) is a front view showing the window regulator when the window glass is half open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the window regulator when the window glass is in a half-open state. [Figure 4] (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 2(a) showing the guide rail, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in Figure 2(c) showing the area around the carrier plate, and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' in Figure 3 showing the area around the mating hole. [Figure 5] 1A is a front view showing the carrier plate, FIG. 1B is a plan view showing the carrier plate, and FIG. 1C is a rear view showing the carrier plate. [Figure 6] FIG. 2(a) is a side view showing the carrier plate, and FIG. 2(b) is a perspective view showing the carrier plate. [Figure 7] FIG. 2(a) is a front view showing the drum housing, and FIG. 2(b) is a plan view showing the drum housing. [Figure 8] FIG. 2(a) is a side view of the drum housing, and FIG. 2(b) is a perspective view of the drum housing. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the first guide rail installation operation. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of attaching the second guide rail. [Figure 11] FIG. 10(a) is a front view showing a modified drum housing, (b) is a plan view showing a modified drum housing, and (c) is a perspective view showing a modified drum housing. [Figure 12] (a) is a cross-sectional view showing a guide rail of a first modified example, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the area around the fitting hole into which the guide rail of the first modified example is fitted, (c) is a cross-sectional view showing a guide rail of a second modified example, (d) is a cross-sectional view showing the area around the fitting hole into which the guide rail of the second modified example is fitted, (e) is a cross-sectional view showing a guide rail of a third modified example, and (f) is a cross-sectional view showing the area around the fitting hole into which the guide rail of the third modified example is fitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a window regulator and a method for installing a guide rail according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This window regulator is a lifting device that is installed inside a vehicle door of a vehicle (e.g., an automobile) and lifts and lowers the window glass of the vehicle door. In particular, this window regulator is provided with a guide structure in a carrier plate or a drum housing to improve the ease of installing the guide rail. Hereinafter, the direction in which the vehicle window glass is lifted and lowered will be simply referred to as the lifting and lowering direction. Also, hereinafter, left and right, front and rear, and up and down will be defined as shown in the drawings. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the lifting and lowering direction coincides with the up and down direction of the window regulator, and that the vehicle width direction coincides with the front and rear direction of the window regulator. Also, the direction perpendicular to the lifting and lowering direction and the vehicle width direction is referred to as the left and right direction of the window regulator.

[0011] (Window regulator configuration) 1 to 3, a window regulator 10 is attached to a vehicle door 1 and includes a guide rail 11 provided along the lifting direction, a carrier plate 12 supporting the window glass 3 and slidably attached to the guide rail 11, an ascending wire 13 and a descending wire 14 for pulling the carrier plate 12, a drive unit 15 provided at the lower end of the guide rail 11 for driving the ascending wire 13 and the descending wire 14, a pulley 16 provided at the upper end of the guide rail 11 via a pulley bracket 18 for changing the direction of the ascending wire 13, and a wire guide 17 provided at approximately the center of the guide rail 11 in the longitudinal direction for supporting the ascending wire 13 routed between the pulley 16 and the drive unit 15. In other words, the window regulator 10 is a wire-driven window regulator that raises and lowers the carrier plate 12 using the wires 13 and 14, and is also a bottom rail window regulator in which the drive unit 15 is provided at the lower end of the guide rail 11.

[0012] One end of the ascending wire 13 is attached to the carrier plate 12, and the other end is connected to a rotating drum 22 (described later) of the drive unit 15 via a pulley 16. On the other hand, one end of the descending wire 14 is attached to the carrier plate 12, and the other end is connected to the rotating drum 22.

[0013] The drive unit 15 includes a motor 21, a cylindrical rotating drum 22 that is rotationally driven by the motor 21 and thereby winds and unwinds the ascending-side wire 13 and the descending-side wire 14, a reducer (not shown) that transmits the rotation of the motor 21 to the rotating drum 22, and a housing 25 that includes a drum housing 23 that fits over the lower end of the guide rail 11 and rotatably houses the rotating drum 22, and a motor housing 24 that holds the motor 21. The motor housing 24 incorporates the reducer and is fixed to the drum housing 23. The motor housing 24 connects the output shaft of the reducer to the rotating drum 22 and covers the opening of a drum accommodating portion 71 (described later) of the drum housing 23. Details of the drum housing 23 will be described later.

[0014] When the motor 21 is driven in the forward direction, the rotating drum 22 rotates in the forward direction, and as a result, the lowering side wire 14 is unwound while the ascending side wire 13 is wound up. As a result, the carrier plate 12 is pulled by the ascending side wire 13 and moves upward in the lifting direction. As a result, the window glass 3 attached to the carrier plate 12 rises. On the other hand, when the motor 21 is driven in the reverse direction, the rotating drum 22 rotates in the reverse direction, and as a result, the ascending side wire 13 is unwound while the descending side wire 14 is wound up. As a result, the carrier plate 12 is pulled by the descending side wire 14 and moves downward in the lifting direction. As a result, the window glass 3 attached to the carrier plate 12 falls. As a result, the carrier plate 12 and the window glass 3 rise and fall along the guide rail 11.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the guide rail 11 is formed by bending a long metal plate toward the outside of the vehicle compartment at a predetermined curvature, and is arranged inclined toward the rear in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction relative to the vehicle door 1.

[0016] 2 and 4(a), the guide rail 11 integrally includes a bottom plate 31 extending in the lifting direction, a right side plate 32 and a left side plate 33 extending in the lifting direction and erected forward from both ends of the guide rail 11 in the width direction perpendicular to the lifting direction, a right flange 34 extending rightward from the front end of the right side plate 32 and extending in the lifting direction, and a left flange 35 extending leftward from the tip of the left side plate 33 and extending in the lifting direction. The right flange 34 and the left flange 35 are formed substantially parallel to the bottom plate 31. In other words, the right side plate 32 extends rearward from the right flange 34, and the left side plate 33 extends rearward from the left flange 35. The guide rail 11 slidably supports the carrier plate 12 via the right side plate 32. In this embodiment, the bottom plate portion 31 is a flat plate portion guided by the first fitting guide wall 81, and the right flange portion 34 is a flat plate portion guided by the first insertion guide wall 61. In addition, the right side plate portion 32 is a side plate portion guided by the second insertion guide wall 62 and the second fitting guide wall 82.

[0017] Next, the carrier plate 12 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. As shown in Figure 4, the carrier plate 12 is made of a resin (e.g., polyacetal resin) member and has a plate-shaped main body 40, two mounting holes 41, 41 formed at the left and right ends of the main body 40 for mounting the window glass 3, a rail mounting portion 42 formed toward the right of the center on the rear side of the main body 40 (the center back side of Figure 5(a)), a descending-side wire mounting portion 43 disposed on the left side of the rail mounting portion 42, an ascending-side wire mounting portion 44 disposed on the left side of the descending-side wire mounting portion 43, and a plurality of sliding fins 45 that press against the right flange portion 34 and left flange portion 35 of the guide rail 11. The carrier plate 12 also has an insertion guide portion 46 formed above the rail mounting portion 42.

[0018] The two mounting holes 41, 41 are for mounting two glass holders (not shown) fixed to the window glass 3. By mounting the two glass holders fixed to the window glass 3 in the respective mounting holes 41, 41, the window glass 3 is mounted to the carrier plate 12 via the two glass holders.

[0019] One end of the descending-side wire 14 is attached to the descending-side wire attachment portion 43. On the other hand, one end of the ascending-side wire 13 is attached to the ascending-side wire attachment portion 44. In other words, the carrier plate 12 is pulled downward in the ascending / descending direction by the descending-side wire 14 via the descending-side wire attachment portion 43, and is pulled upward in the ascending / descending direction by the ascending-side wire 13 via the ascending-side wire attachment portion 44.

[0020] The rail mounting portion 42 has an upper end sliding portion 51 formed at the upper end of the main body 40 and sliding on the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11, and a lower end sliding portion 52 formed at the lower end of the main body 40 and sliding on the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11. The upper end sliding portion 51 and the lower end sliding portion 52 have a right sliding surface that slides on the right surface of the right side plate portion 32 and a left sliding surface that slides on the left surface of the right side plate portion 32, and slide on both the front and back surfaces of the right side plate portion 32. As shown in FIG. 4( b), the upper end sliding portion 51 and the lower end sliding portion 52 are formed so that the right side plate portion 32 and the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 can be inserted into them. By inserting the right side plate portion 32 and the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 into the upper end sliding portion 51 and the lower end sliding portion 52, the carrier plate 12 is slidably attached to the guide rail 11. The upper end sliding portion 51 is an example of an insertion portion into which the guide rail 11 is inserted.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 4(b), 5, and 6, the insertion guide portion 46 has a plate-like first insertion guide wall 61 extending from the upper edge of the upper end sliding portion 51 so as to extend the front inner surface 51a of the upper end sliding portion 51 upward (toward the user in the insertion direction), and a plate-like second insertion guide wall 62 extending from the upper edge of the upper end sliding portion 51 so as to extend the right sliding surface 51b of the upper end sliding portion 51 upward. The front inner surface 51a of the upper end sliding portion 51 is an inner surface that faces the front surface of the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 and is an example of a first inner surface of the insertion portion. The right sliding surface 51b of the upper end sliding portion 51 is an inner surface that faces the right surface of the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 and is an example of a second inner surface of the insertion portion. The first insertion guide wall 61 is formed wider than the front inner surface 51a of the upper end sliding portion 51 to increase rigidity.

[0022] The rear surface of the first insertion guide wall 61 is formed continuously with the front inner surface 51a of the upper end sliding portion 51 without any step, and the rear surface of the first insertion guide wall 61 serves as a guide surface that guides the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 into the upper end sliding portion 51 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, by moving the guide rail 11 toward the upper end sliding portion 51 while the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 is in sliding contact with the rear surface of the first insertion guide wall 61, the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 is guided into the upper end sliding portion 51 in the front-to-rear direction and is inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51.

[0023] On the other hand, the left surface of the second insertion guide wall 62 is formed continuously with the right sliding surface 51b of the upper end sliding portion 51 without any step, and the left surface of the second insertion guide wall 62 serves as a guide surface that guides the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 into the upper end sliding portion 51 in the left-right direction. Therefore, by moving the guide rail 11 toward the upper end sliding portion 51 while the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 is in sliding contact with the left surface of the second insertion guide wall 62, the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 is guided into the upper end sliding portion 51 in the left-right direction and is inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51.

[0024] As described above, the first insertion guide wall 61 guides the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 into the upper end sliding portion 51 in the front-to-rear direction, and the second insertion guide wall 62 guides the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 into the upper end sliding portion 51 in the left-to-right direction. Therefore, when the right flange portion 34 and right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 are inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51, the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62 naturally align the guide rail 11 with the upper end sliding portion 51 in the left-to-right and front-to-rear directions. Therefore, the right side plate portion 32 and right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 can be easily inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51 without any special alignment.

[0025] Next, the drum housing 23 will be described with reference to Figures 4, 7, and 8. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the drum housing 23 is formed with a drum accommodating portion 71 that rotatably accommodates the rotating drum 22, two fixing holes 72, 72 for fixing the drum housing 23 to an inner panel (not shown) of the vehicle door 1, a fitting hole 73 into which the lower end of the guide rail 11 is inserted and into which the lower end of the guide rail 11 is fitted, and a fitting guide portion 75 formed above the fitting hole 73.

[0026] 4(c), 7, and 8, the fitting guide portion 75 integrally includes a plate-shaped first fitting guide wall 81 extending from the edge of the fitting hole 73 so as to extend the rear inner surface 73a of the fitting hole 73 upward (toward the user in the insertion direction), and a plate-shaped second fitting guide wall 82 extending from the edge of the fitting hole 73 so as to extend the right inner surface 73b of the fitting hole 73 upward. The rear inner surface 73a of the fitting hole 73 is an inner surface facing the rear surface of the bottom plate portion 31 of the guide rail 11 and is an example of a first inner surface of the fitting hole 73. The right inner surface 73b of the fitting hole 73 is an inner surface facing the right surface of the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 and is an example of a second inner surface of the fitting hole 73. The mating hole 73 is formed with a tilt toward the front to match the curvature of the guide rail 11, and accordingly, the first mating guide wall 81 and the second mating guide wall 82 are also formed with a tilt toward the front.

[0027] The front surface of the first fitting guide wall 81 is formed continuously with the rear inner surface 73a of the fitting hole 73 without any step, and the front surface of the first fitting guide wall 81 serves as a guide surface that guides the bottom plate portion 31 of the guide rail 11 into the fitting hole 73 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, by moving the guide rail 11 toward the fitting hole 73 while the bottom plate portion 31 of the guide rail 11 is in sliding contact with the front surface of the first fitting guide wall 81, the bottom plate portion 31 of the guide rail 11 is guided into the fitting hole 73 in the front-to-rear direction and is inserted into the fitting hole 73.

[0028] Meanwhile, the left surface of the second fitting guide wall 82 is formed continuously with the right inner surface 73b of the fitting hole 73 without any step, and the left surface of the second fitting guide wall 82 serves as a guide surface that guides the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 into the fitting hole 73 in the left-right direction. Therefore, by moving the guide rail 11 toward the fitting hole 73 while the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 is in sliding contact with the left surface of the second fitting guide wall 82, the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 is guided into the fitting hole 73 in the front-rear direction and is inserted into the fitting hole 73.

[0029] As described above, the bottom plate portion 31 of the guide rail 11 is guided into the fitting hole 73 in the front-to-rear direction by the first fitting guide wall 81, and the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 is guided into the fitting hole 73 in the left-to-right direction by the second fitting guide wall 82. Therefore, when the guide rail 11 is inserted into the fitting hole 73 to be fitted, the first fitting guide wall 81 and the second fitting guide wall 82 naturally align the guide rail 11 with the fitting hole 73 in the left-to-right and front-to-rear directions. Therefore, the guide rail 11 can be easily inserted into the fitting hole 73 without any special alignment.

[0030] 9 and 10, the guide rail mounting operation (the method of mounting the guide rail 11) will be described. In this embodiment, the guide rail 11 is mounted to the carrier plate 12, and then the lower end of the guide rail 11 mounted to the carrier plate 12 is mounted to the drum housing 23. Therefore, the mounting operation of mounting the guide rail 11 to the carrier plate 12 will be described as a first guide rail mounting operation, and the mounting operation of mounting the lower end of the guide rail 11 mounted to the carrier plate 12 to the drum housing 23 will be described as a second guide rail mounting operation.

[0031] First, the first guide rail mounting operation will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The first guide rail mounting operation is performed in a state where the pulley bracket 18 and the pulley 16 are mounted on the upper end of the guide rail 11.

[0032] 9(a), in the first guide rail attachment operation, first, the right flange portion 34 is brought into contact with the first insertion guide wall 61 at the lower end of the guide rail 11. Specifically, the front surface of the right flange portion 34 is brought into contact with the rear surface of the first insertion guide wall 61.

[0033] 9(b), while keeping the right flange portion 34 in contact with the first insertion guide wall 61, the guide rail 11 is slid rightward to bring the right side plate portion 32 into contact with the second insertion guide wall 62 at the lower end of the guide rail 11. Specifically, the right surface of the right side plate portion 32 is brought into contact with the left surface of the second insertion guide wall 62.

[0034] 9(c), the right flange 34 and the right side plate 32 are brought into contact with the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62, respectively, and the guide rail 11 is moved toward the upper end sliding portion 51 while the right flange 34 and the right side plate 32 are in sliding contact with the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62, respectively, thereby inserting the right flange 34 and the right side plate 32 into the upper end sliding portion 51. When the guide rail 11 is moved toward the upper end sliding portion 51 while the right flange 34 and the right side plate 32 are in sliding contact with the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62, respectively, the right flange 34 and the right side plate 32 are guided into the upper end sliding portion 51 by the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62, and the right flange 34 and the right side plate 32 are inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51. Thereafter, the guide rail 11 is inserted until the lower end of the guide rail 11 passes the lower end sliding portion 52, whereby the guide rail 11 is attached to the carrier plate 12.

[0035] Next, the second guide rail mounting operation will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The second guide rail mounting operation is performed after the first guide rail mounting operation as described above, and is performed with the guide rail 11 mounted on the carrier plate 12.

[0036] 10(a), in the second guide rail attaching operation, the bottom plate portion 31 is brought into contact with the first fitting guide wall 81 at the lower end of the guide rail 11. Specifically, the rear surface of the bottom plate portion 31 is brought into contact with the front surface of the first fitting guide wall 81.

[0037] 10(b), while keeping the bottom plate portion 31 in contact with the first fitting guide wall 81, the guide rail 11 is slid rightward to bring the right side plate portion 32 into contact with the second fitting guide wall 82 at the lower end of the guide rail 11. Specifically, the right surface of the right side plate portion 32 is brought into contact with the left surface of the second fitting guide wall 82.

[0038] 10(c), the guide rail 11 is moved toward the fitting hole 73 while the bottom plate 31 and the right side plate 32 are in sliding contact with the first fitting guide wall 81 and the second fitting guide wall 82, respectively, thereby inserting the lower end of the guide rail 11 into the fitting hole 73. When the guide rail 11 is moved toward the fitting hole 73 while the bottom plate 31 and the right side plate 32 are in sliding contact with the first fitting guide wall 81 and the second fitting guide wall 82, respectively, the bottom plate 31 and the right side plate 32 are guided into the fitting hole 73 by the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62, and the lower end of the guide rail 11 is inserted into the fitting hole 73. As a result, the lower end of the guide rail 11 fits into the fitting hole 73, and the guide rail 11 is attached to the drum housing 23.

[0039] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiments) As described above, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, the drum housing 23 is provided with the first fitting guide wall 81 and the second fitting guide wall 82. Therefore, when the guide rail 11 is inserted into the fitting hole 73 and fitted thereto, the first fitting guide wall 81 and the second fitting guide wall 82 naturally align the guide rail 11 with the fitting hole 73 in the left-right and front-rear directions. Therefore, the guide rail 11 can be easily inserted into the fitting hole 73 without any special alignment. In other words, the guide rail 11 can be aligned in the left-right and front-rear directions during insertion simply by bringing the bottom plate portion 31 and the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 into contact with the first fitting guide wall 81 and the second fitting guide wall 82. This improves the ease of installation of the guide rail 11. This is also effective in automating the second guide rail installation operation.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, by providing the first mating guide wall 81 and the second mating guide wall 82 on the edge of the mating hole 73, the first mating guide wall 81 and the second mating guide wall 82 function as reinforcing ribs, thereby improving the rigidity of the mating hole 73. For example, in this type of window regulator 10, when the window glass 3 is raised or lowered (particularly when it starts to rise or lower), a force acts on the window glass 3 to tilt it in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and this force may cause the guide rail 11 to bend left and right. If the guide rail 11 bends left and right, the ability of the window glass 3 to be raised and lowered decreases, causing the problem that the window glass 3 cannot be raised and lowered smoothly. In contrast to this, in the above embodiment, the first mating guide wall 81 and the second mating guide wall 82 improve the rigidity of the walls that constitute the mating hole 73, so that the mating hole 73 can suppress the curvature of the guide rail 11 in the left-right direction, thereby preventing a decrease in the ability to raise and lower the window glass 3.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, by providing the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62 on the carrier plate 12, when the guide rail 11 is inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51, the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62 naturally align the guide rail 11 with the upper end sliding portion 51 in the left-right and front-rear directions. Therefore, the right side plate portion 32 and the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 can be easily inserted into the upper end sliding portion 51 without any special alignment. In other words, simply by bringing the right side plate portion 32 and the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11 into contact with the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62, the left-right and front-rear direction alignment during insertion of the guide rail 11 can be achieved. This improves the workability of installing the guide rail 11. This is also effective in automating the first guide rail installation operation.

[0042] Furthermore, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, by providing the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62 on the edge of the upper end sliding portion 51, the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62 function as reinforcing ribs, thereby improving the rigidity of the upper end sliding portion 51. For example, in this type of window regulator 10, when the window glass 3 is raised or lowered (particularly when it starts to rise or fall), a force acts to tilt the window glass 3 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and this force places a heavy load on the upper end sliding portion 51, which may cause damage to the upper end sliding portion 51. In contrast, in the above embodiment, the first insertion guide wall 61 and the second insertion guide wall 62 improve the rigidity of the constituent walls of the upper end sliding portion 51, thereby preventing or suppressing damage to the upper end sliding portion 51 due to tilting of the window glass 3.

[0043] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. The present invention can be implemented by modifying it as appropriate within the scope of its spirit.

[0044] For example, in the above embodiment, the first fitting guide wall 81 is formed to extend the inner surface of the fitting hole 73 that faces the rear surface of the bottom plate portion 31, and the first fitting guide wall 81 guides the bottom plate portion 31, while the second fitting guide wall 82 is formed to extend the inner surface of the fitting hole 73 that faces the right surface of the right side plate portion 32, and the second fitting guide wall 82 guides the right side plate portion 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, as long as the first fitting guide wall 81 is formed to extend the inner surface of the fitting hole 73 that faces the flat plate portion (bottom plate portion 31, right flange portion 34, or left flange portion 35) of the guide rail 11, and the first fitting guide wall 81 guides the flat plate portion, while the second fitting guide wall 82 is formed to extend the inner surface of the fitting hole 73 that faces the side plate portion (right side plate portion 32 or left side plate portion 33) of the guide rail 11, and the second fitting guide wall 82 guides the side plate portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a first fitting guide wall 81 may be formed to extend the inner surface of the fitting hole 73 that faces the front surface of the right flange portion 34, and the first fitting guide wall 81 may guide the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11, while a second fitting guide wall 82 may be formed to extend the inner surface of the fitting hole 73 that faces the left surface of the right side plate portion 32, and the second fitting guide wall 82 may guide the right side plate portion 32.

[0045] In addition, in the above embodiment, the first insertion guide wall 61 is formed to extend the inner surface of the upper end sliding portion 51 that faces the front surface of the right flange portion 34, and the first insertion guide wall 61 guides the right flange portion 34, while the second insertion guide wall 62 is formed to extend the inner surface of the upper end sliding portion 51 that faces the right surface of the right side plate portion 32, and the second insertion guide wall 62 guides the right side plate portion 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, as long as the first insertion guide wall 61 is formed to extend the inner surface of the upper end sliding portion 51 that faces the flat plate portion (bottom plate portion 31, right flange portion 34 or left flange portion 35) of the guide rail 11, and the first insertion guide wall 61 guides the flat plate portion, and the second insertion guide wall 62 is formed to extend the inner surface of the upper end sliding portion 51 that faces the side plate portion (right side plate portion 32 or left side plate portion 33) of the guide rail 11, and the second insertion guide wall 62 guides the side plate portion. For example, a first insertion guide wall 61 may be formed to extend the inner surface of the upper end sliding portion 51 that faces the rear surface of the right flange portion 34, and the first insertion guide wall 61 may guide the right flange portion 34 of the guide rail 11, while a second insertion guide wall 62 may be formed to extend the inner surface of the upper end sliding portion 51 that faces the left surface of the right side plate portion 32, and the second insertion guide wall 62 may guide the right side plate portion 32.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the guide rail 11 has a bottom plate portion 31, a right side plate portion 32, a left side plate portion 33, a right flange portion 34, and a left flange portion 35. However, this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), the guide rail 11 may have a bottom plate portion 31, a right side plate portion 32, a left side plate portion 33, and a right flange portion 34, but not the left flange portion 35. As shown in FIGS. 12(c) and 12(d), the guide rail 11 may have a bottom plate portion 31, a right side plate portion 32, and a right flange portion 34, but not the left side plate portion 33 and the left flange portion 35. As shown in FIGS. 12(e) and 12(f), the right side plate portion 32 of the guide rail 11 may be shaped so as to rise forward from the bottom plate portion 31 and then bend back toward the rear. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 3: window glass, 10: window regulator, 11: guide rail, 12: carrier plate, 13: rising wire, 14: falling wire, 22: rotating drum, 23: drum housing, 31: bottom plate portion, 32: right side plate portion, 34: right flange portion, 51: upper end sliding portion, 51a: front inner surface, 51b: right sliding surface, 61: first insertion guide wall, 62: second insertion guide wall, 73: fitting hole, 73a: rear inner surface, 73b: right inner surface, 81: first fitting guide wall, 82: second fitting guide wall

Claims

1. a guide rail provided along the direction in which the window glass of the vehicle moves up and down; a carrier plate that supports the window glass and is slidably attached to the guide rail; a wire for pulling the carrier plate; a rotary drum that rotates to wind and unwind the wire; a drum housing provided at an end of the guide rail and accommodating the rotary drum; The guide rail has a flat plate portion extending in the lifting direction and a side plate portion erected from the flat plate portion, The drum housing includes: a fitting hole into which the end of the guide rail is inserted and fitted; a first fitting guide wall extending from an edge of the fitting hole so as to extend a first inner surface of the fitting hole toward the front side in the insertion direction, the first fitting guide wall guiding the flat plate portion into the fitting hole; A window regulator characterized in that a second inner surface of the fitting hole is formed extending from the edge of the fitting hole so as to extend toward the front side in the insertion direction, and a second fitting guide wall is formed to guide the side plate portion into the fitting hole.

2. a guide rail provided along the direction in which the window glass of the vehicle moves up and down; a carrier plate that supports the window glass and is slidably attached to the guide rail; a wire for pulling the carrier plate; a rotary drum that rotates to wind and unwind the wire, The guide rail has a flat plate portion extending in the lifting direction and a side plate portion erected from the flat plate portion, The carrier plate includes: an insertion portion into which the guide rail is inserted; a first insertion guide wall extending from a front edge of the insertion portion in the insertion direction so as to extend a first inner surface of the insertion portion toward the front side in the insertion direction, and guiding the flat plate portion to the insertion portion; A window regulator characterized in that a second insertion guide wall is formed extending from the front edge of the insertion portion in the insertion direction so as to extend the second inner surface of the insertion portion toward the front side in the insertion direction, and guiding the side plate portion to the insertion portion.

3. 2. A method for attaching the guide rail to the drum housing in the window regulator according to claim 1, comprising: A method for installing a guide rail, characterized in that the flat plate portion and the side plate portion are brought into contact with the first mating guide wall and the second mating guide wall, respectively, and then the guide rail is moved toward the mating hole while sliding the flat plate portion and the side plate portion against the first mating guide wall and the second mating guide wall, respectively, thereby inserting the guide rail into the mating hole.

4. 3. A method for attaching the guide rail to the carrier plate in the window regulator according to claim 2, comprising: A method for installing a guide rail, characterized in that the flat plate portion and the side plate portion are brought into contact with the first insertion guide wall and the second insertion guide wall, respectively, and then the guide rail is inserted into the insertion portion by moving the guide rail toward the insertion portion while sliding the flat plate portion and the side plate portion against the first insertion guide wall and the second insertion guide wall, respectively.

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