Vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device

Abstract

To provide an opening / closing device for a vehicle-sliding window panel, whose sliding-window panel can be efficiently mounted on a vehicle body.SOLUTION: An opening / closing device for a vehicle sliding-window panel, includes: a sliding-window panel 6 capable of opening and closing an opening part provided in a vehicle body; upper and lower guide rails 4, 5 to support the sliding-window panel 6 slidably in a horizontal direction; a carrier plate 77 coupled with the sliding-window panel 6 and fitted to the guide rail 5 slidably; and a slide driving mechanism 7 that operates the sliding-window panel 6 coupled with the carrier plate 77 to open and close. The carrier plate 77 has: a fitting groove 774 which is open upward and extended in an opening / closing direction of the sliding-window panel 6 and to which a lower portion of the sliding-window panel 6 is fitted; and an engaging portion 775 that engages with a portion 61 to be engaged provided on a lower portion of the sliding-window panel 6 fitted to the fitting groove 774 to fix the lower portion of the sliding-window panel 6 to the fitting groove 774.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device that moves a sliding window panel provided in a vehicle horizontally to open and close using power from a drive source. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device that opens and closes a sliding window panel provided on a rear window of a pickup truck in the horizontal direction (left and right direction) using power from a drive source.

[0003] The vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a fixed panel (also referred to as fixed window panel 118) fixed to a frame portion having an upper guide rail (upper rail 122 in Patent Document 1) and a lower guide rail (also referred to as lower rail 124), a sliding window panel (also referred to as slider window panel 120) movable along both rails between a closed position and an open position, a carrier plate (also referred to as carrier 130) connected to the lower part of the sliding window panel and configured to move along a channel portion of the lower guide rail, and a cable drive system (drive motor assembly or system 132) including cable assemblies (cable assemblies 134) connected to the carrier plate and moving the sliding window panel to open and close. The cables of the cable assembly are connected to connection portions (respective end portions of the carriers 128, 130) provided at both ends of the carrier plate, respectively.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a method for installing a sliding window panel (movable window panel 20, 120 in Patent Document 2) in a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device. In this installation method, first, the lower part of the sliding window panel is inserted to a first depth into a lower guide rail (also referred to as lower rail 24, 124) fixed to a fixed panel (also referred to as fixed window panel 16, 116), the upper part is aligned, and the sliding window panel is inserted into an upper guide rail (also referred to as upper rail 22, 122) and a lower guide rail, respectively. Next, with the upper part of the sliding window panel partially inserted into the upper guide rail, the sliding window panel is lifted to a second depth. Next, the sliding window panel is moved toward a carrier plate (also referred to as carrier 30, 130) and dropped into the carrier plate, making it possible to connect the sliding window panel to the carrier plate. This installation method is also applicable to the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,938,914 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 9,174,515 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cable drive system that opens and closes the sliding window panel includes a cable assembly, and the cables of the cable assembly are connected to connecting parts provided at each end of the carrier plate. Therefore, if the installation method disclosed in Patent Document 2 is adopted for the device described in Patent Document 1, when connecting the sliding window panel to the carrier plate, the sliding window panel must be moved toward the carrier plate while being lifted up significantly so that the lower end of the sliding window panel does not abut on the connecting parts of the carrier plate. This work requires skill and care in handling the sliding window panel, making the installation work of the sliding window panel inefficient.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device that enables a sliding window panel to be efficiently attached to a vehicle body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, the above problem is solved as follows. The sliding window panel comprises a sliding window panel that can open and close an opening provided in a vehicle body by sliding horizontally; a guide rail that is fixed to the vehicle body and supports the sliding window panel so that it can slide horizontally; a carrier plate that is connected to the sliding window panel and fits into the guide rail so that it can slide longitudinally; and a slide drive mechanism that opens and closes the sliding window panel connected to the carrier plate by driving a motor, wherein the carrier plate is open in the opening and closing direction and upward of the sliding window panel, and has an engaging groove into which the lower part of the sliding window panel fits, and an engaging portion that engages with an engaged portion provided on the lower part of the sliding window panel fitted into the engaging groove, thereby fixing the lower part of the sliding window panel to the engaging groove.

[0009] Preferably, either the engaging portion or the engaged portion is a protrusion, and the other of the engaging portion or the engaged portion is an engaging hole or an engaging groove with which the protrusion engages.

[0010] Preferably, the protrusion has an inclined surface on a side in a mounting direction of the sliding window panel to the vehicle body or on a side opposite thereto.

[0011] Preferably, the slide drive mechanism includes a drive unit including the motor, a lead screw that can rotate around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail by driving the motor, and a screw nut that is threaded onto the lead screw and moves linearly in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail by rotation of the lead screw, and is connected to the carrier plate so that the linear movement opens and closes the sliding window panel.

[0012] Preferably, the drive unit is attached to one end of the guide rail, and the lead screw is rotatably supported by the guide rail. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, when attaching a sliding window panel to a vehicle body, the sliding window panel is configured to be able to fit into the mating groove of the carrier plate by moving the sliding window panel horizontally toward the carrier plate, thereby enabling the sliding window panel to be attached to the vehicle body efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device according to the present invention, viewed from diagonally rear left. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device as seen from the front. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device as seen obliquely from the front. [Figure 4] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device; [Figure 5] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device as seen obliquely from the front. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part including a carrier plate. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part including a carrier plate and a second sliding bearing. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part including a first support portion and one end of a lead screw. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a slide drive mechanism. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 2. [Figure 11] 11 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by an arrow XI in FIG. 10. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by an arrow XII in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. 2. [Figure 14] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 2. [Figure 15] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 2. [Figure 16] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 2. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a portion similar to that of FIG. 16, illustrating a method for attaching the sliding window panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and includes appropriate modifications of the embodiment described below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle to which a vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device according to the present invention is applied, as seen from the left rear. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device, as seen from the front. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device, as seen from the diagonal front. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device, as seen from the diagonal front. Note that the directions used in the following description are based on the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions of the vehicle 1. Therefore, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the left side of the figures is the right side of the vehicle 1, and the right side of the figures is the left side of the vehicle.

[0017] The vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device of this embodiment has a configuration for opening and closing a rear window section (opening) 2C formed at the rear of the cab of a vehicle 1 such as a pickup truck, and includes as its main elements a fixed panel (glass) 2 secured to a rear window frame body 3 at the rear of the cab, an upper guide rail 4 fixed to the upper front surface of the fixed panel 2 on the interior side so that its longitudinal direction faces left and right (horizontal), a lower guide rail 5 fixed to the lower front surface of the fixed panel 2 so that its longitudinal direction faces left and right, a sliding window panel (glass) 6 attached so as to be slidable left and right by the upper guide rail 4 and the lower guide rail 5, and which opens and closes the aforementioned rear window section 2C formed in the fixed panel 2, and a slide drive mechanism 7 which drives the sliding window panel 6 in the opening and closing direction (left and right).

[0018] As can be seen particularly from Figure 4, the fixed panel 2 is integrally formed with a first fixed panel 2A on the left side (right side in Figure 4) and a second fixed panel 2B on the right side (left side in Figure 4) which are formed with a predetermined gap in the left-right direction, and a rectangular rear window portion 2C formed between the first fixed panel 2A and the second fixed panel 2B.

[0019] The sliding window panel 6 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and its upper edge is fitted to the upper guide rail 4 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, and its lower edge is fitted to the lower guide rail 5 via a carrier plate 77 described later so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, so that it can be moved to an open position where it opens the rear window section 2C by sliding a predetermined amount in the direction of the arrow shown in Figures 2 and 3 (in Figure 3, of the arrows shown by solid lines and the arrows shown by two-dot chain lines, the direction of the arrow shown by solid lines). A plurality of engagement holes 61 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the bottom of the sliding window panel 6, which respectively engage with a plurality of engagement protrusions 775 provided on the carrier plate 77 as described later.

[0020] The sliding movement of the sliding window panel 6 from the closed position to the open position and vice versa is performed by linear movement of a screw nut 76 driven by a motor 72 (described later) in the slide drive mechanism 7.

[0021] The upper guide rail 4 has a generally inverted U-shaped cross section and is fixed to the upper front surface of the fixed panel 2 with its longitudinal direction facing the left-right direction, and has a guide groove (not shown) into which the upper edge of the sliding window panel 6 can be fitted so as to be slidable left-right. Preferably, when the sliding window panel 6 is attached to the rear of the cab, the left end of the guide groove is opened so that the upper right end of the sliding window panel 6 can be inserted into the guide groove of the upper guide rail 4 from its left end. The upper guide rail 4 is curved slightly rearward in plan view.

[0022] The lower guide rail 5 is made of synthetic resin and, like the upper guide rail 4, is curved slightly rearward in a plan view and is fixed to the lower front surface of the fixed panel 2 so that its longitudinal direction faces the left-right direction. The lower guide rail 5 is formed with a guide groove 51 into which a carrier plate 77, which is connected to the lower edge of the sliding window panel 6 as described below, fits so as to be slidable in the left-right direction. As shown in particular in Figure 13, the guide groove 51 is open at the top so that the carrier plate 77 can slidably fit from above, and the left end of the guide groove 51 is open so that the lower right end of the sliding window panel 6 can be inserted into the guide groove 51 of the lower guide rail 5 from the left end of the lower guide rail 5 when the sliding window panel 6 is attached to the rear of the cab.

[0023] A first support portion 52 for rotatably supporting one end (right end) of the lead screw 75 in the slide drive mechanism 7 is integrally formed at one end (right end) of the lower guide rail 5. Furthermore, a second support portion 53 for rotatably supporting the other end (left end) of the lead screw 75 is integrally formed at approximately the center of the lower guide rail 5 in the longitudinal direction.

[0024] 8, 11, and 14, the first support portion 52 has a support groove 521 that has a semicircular vertical cross section that is open in the left-right direction and forward. As shown in FIGS. 7, 12, and 15, the second support portion 53 has a support groove 531 that has a semicircular vertical cross section that is open on one side (the right) and forward.

[0025] In particular, as shown in Figures 5, 9, and 11, the slide drive mechanism 7 includes a drive unit 70, a lead screw 75 that rotates around an axis facing left and right (horizontally) when driven by a motor 72 of the drive unit 70, a screw nut 76 that threads onto the lead screw 75, a carrier plate 77 for connecting the screw nut 76 and the sliding window panel 6 to each other, and a cover 10 that covers the lead screw 75.

[0026] The drive unit 70 includes a casing 71 fixed to one end of the lower guide rail 5, a motor 72 housed in the casing 71, and a first reduction gear 73 and a second reduction gear 74 rotatably supported within the casing 71. In this embodiment, the drive unit 70 is configured separately from the lower guide rail 5 (see FIG. 4). As a result, by detaching the drive unit 70 from the lower rail 5 during transportation of the lower guide rail 5, the drive unit 70 does not protrude further forward than the lower guide rail 5, thereby improving the efficiency of transportation of the lower guide rail 5 (see FIG. 11).

[0027] The motor 72 is housed in the casing 71 with its rotation shaft facing left-right (horizontally), and a worm 721 is fixed to one end of the rotation shaft. The worm 721 meshes with a small-diameter worm wheel gear portion 731 of the first reduction gear 73, thereby transmitting the rotation of the motor 72 to the first reduction gear 73.

[0028] The first reduction gear 73 is rotatably supported by a vertical shaft 733 within the casing 71, and is integrally formed with the aforementioned worm wheel gear portion 731 that meshes with the worm 721 and a large diameter gear 732 that meshes with the second reduction gear 74 on the same axis.

[0029] The second reduction gear 74 is pivotally supported within the casing 71 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction (a direction parallel to the rotation shaft of the motor 72), and meshes with the large-diameter gear 732 of the first reduction gear 73. The second reduction gear 74 rotates about an axis extending in the left-right direction in conjunction with the rotation of the first reduction gear 73, transmitting the rotation to the lead screw 75. Preferably, the second reduction gear 74 is located on the opposite side of the worm 721 from the shaft 733 of the first reduction gear 73, and meshes with the large-diameter gear 732. A connecting hole 741 (see FIG. 11 ) into which one end 752 of the lead screw 75 is fitted so as not to rotate relative to the shaft 733 is provided at the other end (right end) of the second reduction gear 74. This configuration allows the drive unit 70 to be made more compact.

[0030] As shown in particular in Figure 10, the vicinity of one end of the lead screw 75 is rotatably supported by the first support portion 52 of the lower guide rail 5, and the other end is rotatably supported by the second support portion 53 of the lower guide rail 5. Preferably, as shown in particular in Figure 11, the vicinity of one end of the lead screw 75 is inserted into and rotatably supported by a first plain bearing 8 that is fitted into and supported in a support groove 521 provided in the first support portion 52. As shown in particular in Figure 12, the other end of the lead screw 75 is inserted into and rotatably supported by a second plain bearing 9 that is fitted into and supported in a support groove 531 provided in the second support portion 53. Furthermore, preferably, the outer peripheral surface of the first plain bearing 8 is sandwiched between a first pressing portion 102 provided at one end of a cover 10 fixed to the lower guide rail 5 and the support groove 521 of the first support portion 52. The outer peripheral surface of the second plain bearing 9 is sandwiched between a second pressing portion 103 provided at the other end of the cover 10 and the support groove 531 of the second support portion 53. In other words, one end of the lead screw 75 is rotatably supported by the first plain bearing 8 supported between the first support portion 52 of the lower guide rail 5 and the first pressing portion 102 of the cover 10, and the other end of the lead screw 75 is rotatably supported by the second plain bearing 9 supported between the second support portion 53 of the lower guide rail 5 and the second pressing portion 103 of the cover 10. In this manner, both ends of the lead screw 75 can be supported so as to rotate smoothly.

[0031] 11 , one end 752 of the lead screw 75 passes through the first sliding bearing 8 as described above and is inserted into the connecting hole 741 of the second reduction gear 74 so as to be unable to rotate relative to the first sliding bearing 8. This causes the lead screw 75 to rotate about its axis in the left-right direction in conjunction with the rotation of the second reduction gear 74.

[0032] 12, the lead screw 75 passes through a screw hole 761 provided in the screw nut 76 and threads into a screw portion 751 of the lead screw 75, so that the screw nut 76 moves linearly in the left-right direction as the lead screw 75 rotates. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 13, the screw nut 76 has a generally L-shape in side view, and in addition to the screw hole 761, an upper arm portion 762 extending upward and a connecting arm portion 763 extending rearward and fitting into a connecting groove 771 provided in the carrier plate 77 are integrally formed. Thus, the screw nut 76 is connected to the carrier plate 77 by fitting the connecting arm portion 763 into the connecting groove 771 of the carrier plate 77, and moves the carrier plate 77 in the left-right direction.

[0033] The carrier plate 77 is made of synthetic resin and has a predetermined length in the left-right direction. It is connected to the lower part of the sliding window panel 6 and is also connected to the screw nut 76, so that as the screw nut 76 moves linearly left and right due to the rotation of the lead screw 75, it slides along the longitudinal direction of the lower guide rail 5, thereby opening and closing the sliding window panel 6.

[0034] In particular, as shown in Figures 6 and 13, the carrier plate 77 is formed with a vertical wall portion 772 located in front of the guide groove 51 of the lower guide rail 5 and having a predetermined length in the left-right direction, the aforementioned connecting groove 771 into which the connecting arm portion 763 of the screw nut 76 fits, and a slide portion 773 having an approximately U-shaped cross section that fits into the guide groove 51 of the lower guide rail 5 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction.

[0035] 6 and 12, the connecting groove 771 of the carrier plate 77 is provided in approximately the center of the vertical wall portion 772 in the longitudinal direction, has a rectangular shape that is open at the front and bottom, and is configured to allow the connecting arm portion 763 of the screw nut 76 to fit therein. In this way, by fitting the connecting arm portion 763 into the connecting groove 771, the carrier plate 77 is connected to the screw nut 76 and moves left and right together with the screw nut 76.

[0036] Preferably, the connecting arm portion 763 of the screw nut 76 is fitted into the connecting groove 771 of the carrier plate 77 so as to be relatively movable in the front-rear direction while causing substantially no backlash in the left-right direction.

[0037] As described above, by fitting the connecting arm portion 763 of the screw nut 76 into the connecting groove 771 of the carrier plate 77, the following effects are achieved. (a) When the screw nut 76 moves linearly due to the rotation of the lead screw 75, the linear movement can be reliably transmitted to the carrier plate 77. (b) Even if the lower guide rail 5 is curved rearward and the longitudinal gap between the carrier plate 77 and the screw nut 76 changes as the carrier plate 77 moves left and right, the connecting arm portion 763 of the screw nut 76 can move relative to the connecting groove 771 of the carrier plate 77 in the longitudinal direction, thereby absorbing the change in gap and enabling smooth left and right movement of the screw nut 76 and the carrier plate 77.

[0038] In particular, as shown in Figures 6, 13, and 16, the sliding portion 773 of the carrier plate 77 has a bottom portion 773a that slides on the guide groove 51 of the lower guide rail 5, a first standing portion 773b that stands up from the front end of the bottom portion 773a, and a second standing portion 773c that stands up from the rear end of the bottom portion 773a and faces the first standing portion 773b at a predetermined distance.

[0039] Between the first standing portion 773b and the second standing portion 773c, a fitting groove 774 is provided which is open at the top and at the longitudinal end so that the lower part of the sliding window panel 6 can be clamped from the front and rear. By opening the longitudinal end of the fitting groove 774 in this way, when attaching the sliding window panel 6 to the vehicle 1, the lower part of the sliding window panel 6 can be fitted into the fitting groove 774 of the calibrator plate 77 simply by moving the sliding window panel 6 in the horizontal direction.

[0040] An inner surface of the first upright portion 773b (the surface facing the second upright portion 773c) is provided with a plurality of engaging protrusions (engaging portions) 775 that respectively engage with a plurality of engaging holes 61 provided in the lower part of the sliding window panel 6. Preferably, as can be seen particularly from FIG. 16 , the engaging protrusions 775 are formed in the shape of a right triangle having an inclined surface 775a that slopes toward the other side (the side opposite to the mounting direction of the sliding window panel 6) in plan view, and engage with the engaging holes (engaged portions) 61 of the sliding window panel 6. By making the engaging protrusions 775 in the shape of a right triangle in plan view, when connecting the sliding window panel 6 to the carrier plate 77, the engaging protrusions 775 can be easily and reliably engaged with the engaging holes 61 by inserting the lower part of the sliding window panel 6 into the fitting groove 774 of the carrier plate 77 from the left.

[0041] Furthermore, preferably, when the lower part of the sliding window panel 6 is inserted from the left into the mating groove 774 of the carrier plate 77 to engage the engaging protrusion 775 with the engaging hole 61, at least one of the first upright portion 773b and the second upright portion 773c is configured to be elastically deformable outward (in the direction in which the width of the mating groove 774 widens) so that the engaging protrusion 775 can easily engage with the engaging hole 61.

[0042] The cover 10 is fixed to the lower guide rail 5 so as to cover the entire lead screw 75. The cover 10 is formed with a covering portion 101 that covers the lead screw 75, a first pressing portion 102 that is located at one end of the covering portion 101 and that rotatably supports the vicinity of one end 752 of the lead screw 75 via the first plain bearing 8 in cooperation with the first support portion 52 of the lower guide rail 5, and a second pressing portion 103 that is located at the other end of the covering portion 101 and that rotatably supports the other end of the lead screw 75 via the second plain bearing 9 in cooperation with the second support portion 53 of the lower guide rail 5.

[0043] Next, a method for attaching the sliding window panel 6 to the vehicle 1 will be described. First, the lower part of one end of the sliding window panel 6 is inserted from the other end into the guide groove 51 of the lower guide rail 5 fixed to the fixed panel 2, and the upper part is aligned, and then the upper part of one end of the sliding window panel 6 is inserted from the other end into the guide groove of the upper guide rail 4 fixed to the fixed panel 2. Note that the attachment of the slide drive mechanism 7 to the lower guide rail 5 is performed before the sliding window panel 6 is attached to the vehicle 1.

[0044] Next, the sliding window panel 6 is lifted slightly and moved horizontally toward the carrier plate 77 connected to the screw nut 6. Then, as shown in Figure 17, the sliding window panel 6 is moved in the direction of the arrow so that it is fitted horizontally into the fitting groove 774 of the lower carrier plate 77 on one end side of the sliding window panel 6.

[0045] Next, with the lower part of one end side of the sliding window panel 6 fitted into the fitting groove 774 of the carrier plate 77, the sliding window panel 6 is moved a predetermined amount in one direction, whereby the multiple engaging protrusions 775 of the carrier plate 77 respectively engage with the multiple engaging holes 61 of the sliding window panel 6. In this way, the sliding window panel 6 is connected to the carrier plate 77.

[0046] As described above, the longitudinal (horizontal) ends of the fitting grooves 774 in the carrier plate 77 are opened, and the lower part of the sliding window panel 6 can be fitted into the fitting grooves 774 of the carrier plate 77 from the horizontal direction. Therefore, when attaching the sliding window panel 6 to the vehicle 1, the sliding window panel 6 inserted between the upper guide rail 4 and the lower guide rail 5 can be moved directly toward the carrier plate 77 without significantly lifting the sliding window panel 6. This simplifies the work of connecting the sliding window panel 6 to the carrier plate 77, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0047] The sliding window panel 6 installed as described above is opened and closed by driving the motor 72 of the slide drive mechanism 7 to rotate the lead screw 75, which moves the screw nut 76 in a straight line, thereby moving the carrier plate 77 connected to the screw nut 76.

[0048] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the following various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0049] (a) The lead screw 75 is rotatably supported on a support portion provided on the upper guide rail 4 , and the slide drive mechanism 7 is attached to the upper guide rail 4 .

[0050] (b) The upper guide rail 4 and / or the lower guide rail 5 are directly fixed to the vehicle body. Note that, in the above embodiment, the upper guide rail 4 and the lower guide rail 5 are indirectly fixed to the vehicle body via the fixing panel 2 fixed to the vehicle body, and are therefore defined as being fixed to the vehicle body.

[0051] (c) The screw nut 76 is directly connected to the sliding window panel 6.

[0052] (d) In a configuration in which the carrier plate 77 is fixed to the sliding window panel 6, an engagement hole or engagement groove is provided in either the carrier plate 77 or the sliding window panel 6, and a protrusion that engages with the engagement hole or engagement groove is provided in the other of the carrier plate 77 or the sliding window panel 6. When the protrusion is provided on the sliding window panel side, the inclined surface of the protrusion is provided on the side in the mounting direction of the sliding window panel 6.

[0053] (e) The fitting groove 774 of the carrier plate 77 is opened only on the mounting direction side (left side) of the sliding window panel 6, and the opposite side (right side) is closed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Vehicle 2 Fixed panel 2A First fixing panel 2B Second left fixing panel 2C Rear window section (opening) 3 Rear window frame 4 Upper guide rail 5 Lower guide rail 51 guide groove 52 first support portion 521 1st support groove 53 2nd support part 531 Second support groove 6 Sliding window panel 61 Engagement hole (engaged portion) 7 Slide drive mechanism 70 Drive unit 71 Casing 72 Motor 721 Worm 73 First reduction gear 731 Worm wheel gear section 732 Large diameter gear 733 Shaft 74 Second reduction gear 741 Connecting hole 75 Lead screw 751 Screw part 752 One end 76 Screw nut 761 Screw hole 762 Upper arm 763 Connecting arm 77 Carrier plate 771 Connection groove 772 Vertical wall section 773 Slide part 773a Bottom part 773b 1st standing part 773c 2nd standing part 774 Fitting groove 775 Engagement protrusion (engagement portion) 775a Inclined surface 8 First plain bearing 9 Second sliding bearing 10 Cover 101 Covering portion 102 First holding portion 103 Second retainer

Claims

1. a sliding window panel that can open and close an opening provided in a vehicle body by sliding horizontally; a guide rail that is fixed to the vehicle body and supports the sliding window panel so that it can slide horizontally; a carrier plate that is connected to the sliding window panel and fits into the guide rail so that it can slide in the longitudinal direction; and a slide drive mechanism that opens and closes the sliding window panel connected to the carrier plate by driving a motor, wherein the carrier plate is open in the opening and closing direction and upward of the sliding window panel, and has a fitting groove into which a lower part of the sliding window panel fits, and an engaging part that engages with an engaged part provided on the lower part of the sliding window panel fitted into the fitting groove to fix the lower part of the sliding window panel to the fitting groove, one of the engaging portion and the engaged portion is a protrusion, and the other of the engaging portion and the engaged portion is an engagement hole or an engagement groove with which the protrusion engages, The vehicle sliding window panel opening and closing device, wherein the protrusion has an inclined surface on a side of the mounting direction of the sliding window panel to the vehicle body or on a side opposite to the mounting direction.

2. A sliding window panel capable of opening and closing an opening provided in a vehicle body by sliding horizontally, a guide rail fixed to the vehicle body and supporting the sliding window panel so that it can slide horizontally, a carrier plate connected to the sliding window panel and fitted into the guide rail so that it can slide longitudinally, and a slide drive mechanism that opens and closes the sliding window panel connected to the carrier plate by driving a motor, wherein the carrier plate opens in the opening and closing direction and upward of the sliding window panel, and has a fitting groove into which the lower part of the sliding window panel fits, and an engaging part that engages with an engaged part provided on the lower part of the sliding window panel fitted into the fitting groove, thereby fixing the lower part of the sliding window panel to the fitting groove, The slide drive mechanism includes: a drive unit including the motor; a lead screw that can rotate around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail by being driven by the motor; and a screw nut that is threadedly engaged with the lead screw and moves linearly in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail by the rotation of the lead screw, and is connected to the carrier plate so as to open and close the sliding window panel by the linear movement, a drive unit attached to one end of the guide rail, and the lead screw rotatably supported by the guide rail;

Images