Carrier plate and window regulator

Abstract

To provide a carrier plate and a window regulator which are capable of achieving suppression of vibration of a cable and easiness of sliding movement of the cable in a balanced manner.SOLUTION: A carrier plate, which is pulled by the cable to be brought into sliding movement on a guide rail for raising / lowering a window glass, includes a cable end accommodating portion that accommodates an end portion of the cable, and an accommodating groove that accommodates the cable extending from the cable end accommodating portion toward the outside of the carrier plate, in which a convex portion that comes into contact with the cable is formed on only one side wall of two facing side walls of the accommodating groove.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a carrier plate and a window regulator.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a window regulator that raises and lowers a window glass by pulling a carrier plate that holds the window glass of a vehicle with a cable and sliding it on a guide rail has been widely used. The window regulator is provided in a door of an automobile or the like.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a window regulator that forms an S-shaped groove in a carrier plate and fits and holds a cable in the groove to suppress vibration of the cable and reduce abnormal noise caused by vibration of the cable.

Prior Art Documents

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the carrier plate in the present invention is a carrier plate that is pulled by a cable and slides on a guide rail to raise and lower a window glass, and comprises a cable end housing portion for housing the end of the cable, and a housing groove for housing the cable extending from the cable end housing portion toward the outside of the carrier plate, wherein a protrusion that contacts the cable is formed only on one of the two opposing side walls of the housing groove.

[0008] The window regulator in this invention includes the carrier plate described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The carrier plate and window regulator according to the present invention can achieve a good balance between suppressing cable vibration and facilitating cable sliding. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of a window regulator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view of the window regulator. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view of the carrier plate mounted on the guide rail. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a rear view of the carrier plate mounted on the guide rail. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a carrier plate showing a protrusion formed on the side wall of the descending cable housing groove that accommodates the descending cable. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a rear view of the carrier plate showing the protrusions formed on the side wall of the descending cable housing groove that accommodates the descending cable. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] A window regulator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a front view of the window regulator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side view of the window regulator 10.

[0012] In this embodiment, each figure shows the X, Y, and Z axes. The X axis indicates the thickness direction of the carrier plate 12, the Y axis indicates the width direction of the carrier plate 12, and the Z axis indicates the vertical direction of the carrier plate 12.

[0013] The window regulator 10 is supported by the vehicle's door panel (not shown). The window regulator 10 is a mechanism for raising and lowering a window glass (not shown), which is the object to be moved.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the window regulator 10 mainly comprises a guide rail 11, a carrier plate 12, an upward cable 13, a downward cable 14, and a drive unit 15.

[0015] The guide rail 11 is provided along the vertical direction of the window glass and is a member that guides the carrier plate 12 in the vertical direction of the window glass. The guide rail 11 extends generally in the vertical direction (Z direction) of the vehicle and is provided at a slight inclination with respect to the window glass (not shown) to which it is installed.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the guide rail 11 is gently curved to match the curvature of the car's window glass. The guide rail 11 is made of, for example, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, or other hard material.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a front view of the carrier plate 12 assembled to the guide rail 11 as seen from the front side. The carrier plate 12 holds the lower end portion of the window glass and is a member that is pulled by the ascending cable 13 or the descending cable 14 to slide on the guide rail 11 and raise and lower the window glass. The structure of the carrier plate 12 will be described in detail later.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, a pulley 16 is provided at the upper end portion of the guide rail 11 as a direction-changing member for changing the moving direction of the ascending cable 13.

[0019] A drive unit 15 for winding and unwinding the ascending cable 13 and the descending cable 14 is provided at the lower end of the guide rail 11. The drive The drive unit 15 has a drum housing 17, a drum (not shown), and a drive motor 18.

[0020] The drum housing 17 has a fitting portion that fits with the guide rail 11 and a cylindrical drum accommodating portion. A cylindrical recess for accommodating the drum is formed in the drum accommodating portion. Further, the drum housing 17 has an ascending cable lead-out groove 17a and a descending cable lead-out groove 17b for leading the ascending cable 13 and the descending cable 14 to the outside through the recess.

[0021] The drum housing 17 supports the drum rotatably. The drive motor 18 is attached integrally to the drum housing 17 and rotates the drum in both forward and reverse directions. Further, the drum housing 17 is attached to the lower end portion of the guide rail 11 and fixes the guide rail 11 to a vehicle door panel (not shown).

[0022] The ascending cable 13 and the descending cable 14 pull the carrier plate 12 in the vertical direction (Z direction). For the ascending cable 13 and the descending cable 14, a known one in which a plurality of metal strands or resin fiber strands are brought together can be used.

[0023] The upward cable 13 has one end connected to the carrier plate 12, is routed around the pulley 16, and the other end connected to the drum. The downward cable 14 has one end connected to the carrier plate 12 and the other end connected to the drum.

[0024] The drive motor 18 rotates the drum, causing the upward cable 13 and the downward cable 14 to be wound up and unwound.

[0025] Figure 4 is a rear view of the carrier plate 12 assembled to the guide rail 11, seen from the back. An upward cable end 13a and a downward cable end 14a are provided at one end of the upward cable 13 and the downward cable 14, respectively.

[0026] The upward-side cable end 13a and the downward-side cable end 14a are formed, for example, by die-casting a metal material, and each has a base end to which one end of the upward-side cable 13 and the downward-side cable 14 are attached, and a flange portion having a larger outer diameter than the base end.

[0027] The base end is formed in a cylindrical or truncated cone shape and is fixed to one end of the ascending cable 13 or descending cable 14 by casting, crimping, bonding, welding, bolting, or other methods.

[0028] Coil springs 13b and 14b are attached to the upward-side cable end 13a and the downward-side cable end 14a, respectively. Coil springs 13b and 14b are biasing members that bias the upward-side cable end 13a and the downward-side cable end 14a in the direction of removing slack from the upward-side cable 13 and the downward-side cable 14, respectively.

[0029] Next, the structure of the carrier plate 12 in this embodiment will be described using Figures 5 and 6 in addition to Figures 3 and 4.

[0030] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the carrier plate 12 showing a protrusion 27 formed on the side wall 26b of the descending cable housing groove 26 that houses the descending cable 14. Figure 6 is a rear view of the carrier plate 12 showing a protrusion 27 formed on the side wall 26b of the descending cable housing groove 26 that houses the descending cable 14.

[0031] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the carrier plate 12 has a front surface 12a, a back surface 12b, an upper edge 12c, a lower edge 12d, a left edge 12e, and a right edge 12f.

[0032] The front surface 12a is the surface on the negative side of the X-axis, and the back surface 12b is the surface on the positive side of the X-axis. The upper edge portion 12c is the outer edge of the carrier plate 12 that is located on the positive side of the Z-axis and extends from the negative end of the Y-axis to the positive end of the Y-axis. The lower edge portion 12d is the outer edge of the carrier plate 12 that is located on the negative side of the Z-axis and extends from the negative end of the Y-axis to the positive end of the Y-axis.

[0033] The left edge portion 12e is located on the positive side of the Y-axis and extends diagonally from the negative end of the Z-axis to the positive end of the Z-axis, among the outer edges of the carrier plate 12. The right edge portion 12f is located on the negative side of the Y-axis and extends diagonally from the negative end of the Z-axis to the positive end of the Z-axis, among the outer edges of the carrier plate 12.

[0034] Mounting portions 19 and 20 are provided on the surface 12a. Holes 21 and 22 are formed in the mounting portions 19 and 20 through which bolts pass, and a holder (not shown) for holding a window glass (not shown) is fastened to the mounting portions 19 and 20 by bolts.

[0035] The back surface 12b is provided with an upward-side cable end housing section 23, a downward-side cable end housing section 24, an upward-side cable housing groove 25, and a downward-side cable housing groove 26.

[0036] The upward-side cable end housing section 23 houses the end of the upward-side cable 13. Specifically, the upward-side cable end housing section 23 houses the upward-side cable end 13a connected to one end of the upward-side cable 13, and the coil spring 13b attached to the upward-side cable end 13a.

[0037] The descending cable end housing section 24 houses the end of the descending cable 14. Specifically, the descending cable end housing section 24 houses the descending cable end 14a connected to one end of the descending cable 14, and the coil spring 14b attached to the descending cable end 14a.

[0038] The upward-side cable housing groove 25 houses the upward-side cable 13 extending from the upward-side cable end housing section 23 toward the outside of the carrier plate 12. The upward-side cable housing groove 25 has two opposing side walls 25a and 25b.

[0039] Side wall 25a is the side wall on which the guide rail 11 is provided, and side wall 25b is the side wall on the opposite side from which the guide rail 11 is provided. In the longitudinal direction, side wall 25b protrudes further outward from the carrier plate 12 than side wall 25a.

[0040] The descending cable housing groove 26 houses the descending cable 14 extending from the descending cable end housing section 24 toward the outside of the carrier plate 12. The descending cable housing groove 26 has two opposing side walls 26a and 26b.

[0041] Side wall 26a is the side wall on which the guide rail 11 is provided, and side wall 26b is the side wall on the opposite side from which the guide rail 11 is provided. In the longitudinal direction, side wall 26b protrudes further outward from the carrier plate 12 than side wall 26a.

[0042] In this embodiment, the protrusion 27 that contacts the descending cable 14 when the descending cable 14 is housed in the descending cable housing groove 26 is formed only on the side wall 26b of the side wall 26a and side wall 26b.

[0043] Because the protrusion 27 is in contact with the downward cable 14, vibrations of the downward cable 14 can be suppressed and abnormal noises can be reduced when, for example, a car door is closed.

[0044] Furthermore, by providing the protrusion 27 only on the side wall 26b of the side wall 26a and side wall 26b, it is possible to achieve a good balance between suppressing vibration of the descending cable 14 and facilitating the sliding of the descending cable 14, compared to the case where the protrusion is provided on both side wall 26a and side wall 26b.

[0045] Furthermore, the window regulator 10 shown in Figure 1 pulls the upward cable 13 to raise the carrier plate 12 along the guide rail 11. When the carrier plate 12 is restrained at its upper end position, the portion of the carrier plate 12 that is on the positive side of the Y-axis relative to the guide rail 11 is pulled towards the positive side of the Z-axis by the upward cable 13, causing the carrier plate 12 to rotate slightly clockwise when viewed from the negative side of the X-axis.

[0046] In this case, the descending cable 14 moves toward the side wall 26a on the side where the guide rail 11 is installed.

[0047] Therefore, if a protrusion 27 is provided on the side wall 26b opposite to the side where the guide rail 11 is installed, even if the descending cable 14 moves toward the side wall 26a, the descending cable 14 will not be strongly pressed against the protrusion 27. As a result, damage to the descending cable 14 due to bending fatigue can be prevented.

[0048] Furthermore, the protrusion 27 is formed on the end of the side wall 26b opposite to the side of the descending cable end housing 24, which is one of the two ends in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 26b. As a result, the descending cable 14 comes into contact with the protrusion 27 at a point as far away from the descending cable end housing 24 as possible, which further suppresses vibrations of the descending cable 14 and increases the noise reduction effect.

[0049] Furthermore, the lower edge 12d is provided with an elastic body 28, such as rubber, to mitigate the impact when the carrier plate 12 comes into contact with the drum housing 17. The portion of the side wall 26b on which the protrusion 27 is provided constitutes one of the two holding parts 29a, 29b that sandwich and hold the elastic body 28 from both sides, and is located on the side where the guide rail 11 is provided.

[0050] In this way, by providing the protrusion 27 on the side wall 26b which functions as a holding portion 29a, there is no need to add any new components to the carrier plate 12, thus simplifying the shape of the carrier plate 12 and making the carrier plate 12 smaller.

[0051] Next, the shape of the protrusion 27 will be described in more detail. Figures 5 and 6 show the configuration of the carrier plate 12 near the protrusion 27.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, the end of the side wall 26a on the opposite side of the descending cable end housing 24 is formed in an arc shape with a radius of curvature R2.

[0053] As a result, even if a protrusion 27 is provided on the side wall 26b, the descending cable 14 can be easily accommodated in the descending cable housing groove 26.

[0054] Furthermore, as mentioned above, even if the descending cable 14 moves towards the side wall 26a as a result of pulling the ascending cable 13 and raising it along the guide rail 11 onto the carrier plate 12, the descending cable 14 will come into contact with the curved end of the side wall 26a and will not be pressed against any corners. Therefore, damage to the descending cable 14 due to bending fatigue can be prevented.

[0055] Furthermore, the protrusion 27 provided at the end of the side wall 26b opposite to the descending cable end housing 24 has a first portion 27a on the side of the descending cable end housing 24, a second portion 27b on the opposite side of the descending cable end housing 24, and a third portion 27c connecting the first portion 27a and the second portion 27b.

[0056] When the back surface 12b of the carrier plate 12 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the back surface 12b, the first portion 27a and the second portion 27b are formed in an arc shape, and the radius of curvature R3 of the first portion 27a is larger than the radius of curvature R1 of the second portion 27b.

[0057] The third portion 27c is formed such that, when the back surface 12b of the carrier plate 12 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the back surface 12b, it has a straight portion parallel to the longitudinal direction of the descending cable accommodating groove 26.

[0058] The first section 27a is the part that guides the descending cable 14 housed in the descending cable housing groove 26 to the third section 27c. The second section 27b is the part that guides the descending cable 14 to the outside of the carrier plate 12. The third section 27c is the part that guides the descending cable 14 in the longitudinal direction of the descending cable housing groove 26.

[0059] By making the radius of curvature R3 of the first section 27a larger than the radius of curvature R1 of the second section 27b, it is possible to prevent large bending stress from occurring in the descending cable 14 in the first section 27a, and to prevent the descending cable 14 from coming into contact with the corner portion in the second section 27b, thereby preventing deterioration of the strength of the descending cable 14.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the case in which the protrusion 27 is provided only on the side wall 26b on the side opposite to the side on which the guide rail 11 is provided was described. However, the protrusion may also be provided only on the side wall 26a on the side on which the guide rail 11 is provided, so that the protrusion contacts the descending cable 14.

[0061] Furthermore, although the protrusion 27 is formed on the end of the side wall 26b opposite to the side of the descending cable end housing 24, the protrusion 27 may also be provided closer to the descending cable end housing 24 than that end.

[0062] Even in these cases, vibrations of the descending cable 14 can be suppressed, and abnormal noises can be reduced.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the longitudinal direction, the side wall 26b protrudes more than the side wall 26a, and the protruding portion constitutes a holding portion 29a that holds an elastic body 28 that mitigates the impact when the carrier plate 12 comes into contact with the drum housing 17. However, if a protrusion is provided on a carrier plate that does not have an elastic body 28, the side wall 26b does not necessarily have to protrude more than the side wall 26a.

[0064] Furthermore, the shape of the protrusion 27 is not limited to being formed by a first portion 27a having a radius of curvature R3, a second portion 27b having a radius of curvature R1, and a third portion 27c connecting the first portion 27a and the second portion 27b, but can be any shape as long as it is in contact with the descending cable 14.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the protrusion is formed only on the side wall 26b of the two opposing side walls 26a and 26b of the descending cable housing groove 26. However, the protrusion may be formed only on one of the two opposing side walls 25a and 25b of the ascending cable housing groove 25.

[0066] In this case, a good balance can be achieved between suppressing vibrations of the upward-side cable 13 and facilitating the sliding of the upward-side cable 13.

[0067] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. In particular, the multiple embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed. [Industrial applicability]

[0068] This invention can be applied to a window regulator for driving the windows of an automobile up and down. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 10 Window Regulator 11 Guide rails 12 Carrier Plates 12a Front side 12b Reverse side 12c Upper edge 12d lower edge 12e Left edge 12f Right edge 13. Upward cable 13a Upward-side cable end 13b Coil spring 14. Downward cable 14a Downward cable end 14b Coil spring 15 Drive unit 16 Pulley 17 Drum Housing 18 Drive motor 19, 20 Mounting part 21, 22 holes 23. Upward-side cable end housing 24 Downward cable end housing 25. Cable housing groove on the upward side 25a, 25b side wall 26 Downward cable housing groove 26a, 26b side wall 27 Convex part 27a First part of the convex portion 27b Second part of the convex section 27c Third part of the convex section 28 Elastic body 29a, 29b holding part

Claims

1. A carrier plate that is pulled by a cable and slides along a guide rail to raise and lower a window pane, A cable end housing portion for housing the end of the cable, It comprises a housing groove for housing the cable that extends from the cable end housing portion toward the outside of the carrier plate, A carrier plate having a protrusion that contacts the cable formed on only one of the two opposing side walls of the aforementioned storage groove.

2. The carrier plate according to claim 1, wherein the one side wall is the side wall opposite to the side on which the guide rail is provided.

3. The carrier plate according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed on one of the two ends in the longitudinal direction of the one side wall, on the end opposite to the cable end housing side.

4. The carrier plate according to claim 3, wherein one of the side walls protrudes more in the longitudinal direction than the other of the two side walls.

5. The carrier plate according to claim 4, wherein the portion of one side wall that protrudes more than the other side wall holds an elastic body that reduces the impact when the carrier plate comes into contact with other members.

6. The carrier plate according to claim 3, wherein, when the surface of the carrier plate is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface, the radius of curvature of the first portion of the protrusion on the side of the cable end housing is greater than the radius of curvature of the second portion of the protrusion on the side opposite to the side of the cable end housing.

7. The carrier plate according to claim 6, wherein, when the surface of the carrier plate is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface, the protrusion has a straight portion connecting the first portion and the second portion between the first portion and the second portion.

8. A window regulator comprising the carrier plate described in claim 1.

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