Window Regulator Wire End Housing Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guideless window regulators face challenges in easily assembling and maintaining the connection between the drive wire and carrier piece, leading to potential detachment issues and increased complexity and cost in the swaging process.
Innovation Solution
The window regulator design incorporates a carrier piece with a wire insertion groove and a wire end housing portion that includes a top wall and an inclined end wall to securely house and retain the drive wire end, reducing detachment by using a combination of retaining claws and elastic leg portions to guide and lock the wire ends in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wire end housing portion with multiple retaining walls is used to prevent drive wire detachment, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire end housing portion is segmented into multiple functional walls: a top wall with an opening for wire insertion, an inclined wall for guiding the wire end, and a bottom wall for positioning. This segmentation allows each wall to perform a specific function in preventing detachment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclined wall acts as an intermediary element between the drive wire and the housing portion. It guides the wire end into the correct position and provides a gradual transition that prevents sudden detachment, thereby improving reliability without requiring complex locking mechanisms.
2Strength
If swaging process is used to fix drive wire to carrier piece, then connection strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wire fixation function from the complex swaging process and implements it through a simplified mechanical retention system using the wire end housing portion. The housing portion with its retaining walls provides sufficient connection strength without requiring the expensive and complex swaging operation, thereby improving ease of manufacture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If guideless window regulator design is used, then layout flexibility is improved, but wire detachment risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the detachment risk in guideless designs by adding vertical dimension constraints through the wire end housing portion. The top wall, inclined wall, and bottom wall create a three-dimensional retention structure that prevents wire detachment in multiple directions, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving the layout flexibility benefits of guideless design.
Data Source
AI summary
A window regulator includes: a carrier piece attached to a window glass; a drive wire connected to the carrier piece to lift and lower the carrier piece; and a wire end connected to the drive wire. The carrier piece has a groove into which the drive wire is inserted, and a housing in which the wire end is housed. The housing has a bottom wall which the wire end engages, a first end wall communicating with the groove, a second end wall opposite the first end wall, an opening on a top side of the carrier piece into which the wire end is insertable, and a top wall. The walls restrict detachment of the wire end from the housing.