A window-winder

Abstract: A window-winder has a reversible drive unit (14), a pair of rails (12) and a pair of slides (66) for supporting and driving the window (10). The rails (12) have slitted tubular guides (50) in each of which a lateral appendage (71) of one of the slides (66) is engaged. Transmission members (16) extend each between the drive unit (14) and one of the rails (12). Each transmission member (16) comprises a fixed sheath (38) and a flexible, toothed pull-and-push cable (40). To allow the window-winder to be mounted equally well to e.g. a right-hand or a left-hand door of a motor vehicle, the drive unit (14) is adapted to be fixed to a sidewall located on its one side on the other. The lateral appendage (71) of each slide (66) and a corresponding end portion (38a) of each sheath (38), on one hand, and a lower portion of the rail (12), on the other hand, are rotatably mounted with respect to each other.

Description: The present invention relates to a window-winder according to the preamble of Claim 1. The preamble of claim 1 is known from EP-A-0 350 954. A window-winder of this type is also known from the document IT-A-655 600 . In this known window-winder, the slotted tubular guides extend parallel to the edges of the window glass at a certain distance therefrom. One of the advantages of this arrangement is that there are two slides which support the window glass at points quite far from its centreline. This tends to avoid the risk of the glass being displaced obliquely as it moves up and down and sticking in the guide channels as may occur if the window is operated by a single pull-and-push cable connected to a slide at the centre of the lower edge of the glass. The object of the present invention is to provide a window-winder which is based on the principle of the documents IT-A-655 600 and EP-A-0 350 954, but which offers the further advantage of being adapted to be mounted equally well to a panel located on the right side or on the left side of a vehicle, such as, for example a right-hand front door or a left-hand front door of a motor-vehicle. The invention has been designed for application to a window in a motor-vehicle door, but its field of application extends to sliding windows in general. According to the invention, the object mentioned above is achieved by means of a window-winder as claimed. Thanks to the claimed solution, considering for example the case of two doors of a motor-vehicle which are a mirror image of each other, the vehicle manufacturer will use two window-winders identical to each other. In each window-winder the peripheral fixing means, for example peripheral lugs, of the body of the drive unit, are adapted by construction to be fixed equally well to a sidewall located on the right or on the left of the body. In order to adapt the window-winder to the mounting to the right-hand door or the left-hand door, the only step to be taken by the assembler is to take care that the slotted tubular guides and the corresponding slides are located for example on the right for the mounting to a left-hand door and on the left for the mounting to a right-hand door. If for example the assembler realizes that a window-winder to be mounted to a right-hand door has its guides and slides oriented to the right, the only step he must take before assembly is to turn each guide and the corresponding slide by substantially 180° around the end portions of the respective cable and sheath. Further advantages and features of the invention will become clear from a reading of the description which follows with reference to the attached drawings, given by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of a motor-vehicle right-hand door with a window-winder according to the invention, with an inner sidewall of the door omitted to show the internal details, Figure 2 is a hybrid section taken along the line II-II of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged section of the region indicated III in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken, on a larger scale, in the plane indicated IV-IV on Figure 1, Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, similar to Figure 4, which shows a window-winder mounted in a left-hand door, Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view of an operating unit of the window-winder indicated VI on Figure 1, Figure 7 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the line VII-VII in Figure 6, which shows in full lines the manner in which a body of the operating unit is fixed to a sidewall of the right-hand door of figure 1, and in dotted lines the manner in which the same body is fixed to a sidewall of a left-hand door, Figure 8 is a detailed perspective view of the region indicated VIII in Figure 1, Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the components shown in Figure 8, Figure 10 is a partially-sectioned elevational view of the parts shown in Figures 8 and 9, Figure 11 is a section taken in the substantially vertical plane indicated XI-XI in Figure 8, Figure 12 is a cross-section taken in the plane indicated XII-XII in Figure 8, Figure 13 is a cross-section taken in the plane indicated XIII-XIII in Figure 11, Figure 14 is a section taken along the line indicated XIV-XIV in Figure 11, and Figure 15 is a section similar to that of Figure 13, showing another embodiment. With reference to Figures 1 to 4, a motor-vehicle right-hand door is in the form of a hollow panel with an outer sidewall 2 of sheet metal and an inner sidewall 4 of sheet metal, the latter being omitted in Figure 1. The inner sidewall 4 has fixing brackets 6, shown in Figures 2 and 3, and a shallow central portion 8, shown in Figures 2 and 4. The purpose of the brackets 6 will be explained below. The door includes a glass window 10 which can be lowered. The side edges of the glass 10 are guided, in the upper portion of the door, in respective facing parallel channels, both indicated 11. The channels 11 are part of a frame of the window 10. Figure 5 shows a motor-vehicle left-hand door which is a mirror image of the right-hand door of Figures 1 to 4. The various parts shown in Figure 5 are indicated by the same reference numerals of the corresponding parts shown in Figure 4. The door also incorporates a couple of front and rear guide rails 12 whose function and structure will be explained below in more detail. Each guide rail 12 is affixed to the shallow central portion 8 of the sidewall 4 in a manner which will be explained below. As shown in Figure 1, the guide rails 12 are parallel to the channels 11. A reversible drive unit, generally indicated 14, is fitted in the lower region of the door between the guide rails 12. A respective transmission member 16, details of which will be described further below, extends from the drive unit 14 to each of the rails 12. The details of the drive unit 14, some of whose parts are also shown in Figure 1, will now be described with reference to Figures 3, 6 and 7. The drive unit 14 includes a body 18 with peripheral fixing means such as lugs 20 for fixing it by means of bolts 19 to the brackets 6 of sidewall 4 of the door of Figures 1 to 4 or of Figure 5. The body 18 is flattened in shape so that it can be housed within the double wall in the lower portion of the door. The lugs 20, together with the transmission members 16 and the guide rails 12, of which more will be said below, enable the window-winder to be fitted equally well in the right-hand door of Figures 1 to 4 or the left-hand door of Figure 5, which reduces costs since the same model of window-winder can be used for two specularly identical doors. A reversible electric motor 22 with a vertical axis is mounted on the body 18 and has a shaft 24 with a portion which is cut like a worm screw 26. The shaft 24 extends through the body 18 and its end remote from the motor 22 is connected to the body by means of a spherical bearing 28. A gear 30 is rotatable in the body 18 about an axis 29 and has a set of teeth 32 meshed with the worm screw 26, as well as a set of teeth 34. The use of a gear 30 with two sets of teeth 32, 34 side by side is convenient since it enables the body 18 to have a very flattened shape. The body 18 includes four tubular appendages 36, pairs of which face in opposite directions and are aligned on respective axes tangential to the set of teeth 34. Each transmission member 16 includes a sheath 38 which is flexible or formable and in which a flexible toothed cable 40 is slidable. Each flexible cable 40 may be of one of the types known from the prior art, such as, for example, those of the documents IT-A-655 600 and IT-B-1 130 529. The two sheaths 38 are fixed in two diagonally opposite tubular appendages 36. The other two diagonally opposite tubular appendages 36 hold outlet tubes 42 through which the portions of the toothed cables 40 which are not situated between the operating unit 14 and the respective guide channels 12 can slide. The two toothed cables 40 mesh with diametrally opposite regions of the set of teeth 34. As will be understood, the rotation of the double gear 30 moves both toothed flexible cables at the same time in opposite directions. Reference will now be made to Figures 8 to 13, which show, amongst other things, the way in which one of the toothed cables 40 is connected to the glass 10, it being understood that the arrangements for the two facing channels 11 and the two rails 12 are identical. Each channel 11 (Figure 9) is constituted by a sheet-metal or plastics channel-sectioned profile 44 screwed or welded, as appropriate, to the structure of a door such as that of Figures 1 to 4, or of Figure 5, near its rear or front edge, as appropriate. A guide strip 46, made of rubber or plastics is fitted in the channel-sectioned portion 44. In the upper portion of the door the corresponding edge of the glass 10 is guided for sliding in the channel defined by the strip 46. Each guide rail 12 includes a profile 48, preferably of sheet-metal, having a substantially C-shaped cross-section, such as that shown in Figure 13. The profile 48 has a web 48a and a couple of wings 48b which have edges 48c bent towards each other as shown. A guide strip 50, preferably made of self-lubricating plastics, such as polyamide, is fitted in the profile 48 and is retained therein by the bent edges 48c. The bending of the edges 48c may be obtained before inserting the strip 50 into the profile 48. In this case, the strip 50 may be slid into the profile 48 from one end of the latter. Alternatively, the profile 48 may have an initial C-shape with the edges 48c unbent and parallel to each other. In this case the strip 50 may be frontally inserted into the profile 48 and the edges 48c may be bent toward each other in a second time to retain the strip 50 in the profile 48. The profile 48 has fixing means such as Z-shaped sheet metal flanges 52 welded thereto towards its upper and lower ends. The flanges 52 are adapted to be fixed by bolts 54 (Figure 11) to the central portion 8 of the inner sidewall 4 of the right-hand door of Figures 1 to 4 or the left-hand door of Figure 5. The guide strip 50 constitutes a slotted tubular guide for a slide which will be described in the following. The strip has a longitudinal cylindrical channel 56 with a longitudinal slot 58. The web 48a of the profile 48 has a lower appendage 60 with a longitudinal slit 60a (Figures 8, 9, and 11). A bracket 62 includes a tubular portion or bushing 62a of steel and a threaded lateral stud 62b. The stud 62b extends through the slit 60a and is fixed in adjustable manner to the appendage 60 by a nut 64. The tubular portion 62a is aligned precisely with the channel 56 of the slotted tubular guide 50 and embraces the corresponding end portion 38a of the sheath 38 in the manner shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11. The end portion 38a has an end collar 38b which is trapped between the lower end of the strip 50 and the upper end of the bushing 62a so as to axially restrain the sheath end portion 38a in the bushing 62a. The end portion 38a is free to rotate in the bushing 62a for the purpose which will be explained below. The axis of rotation, indicated Z in Figures 8 and 10, coincides with the sliding direction of a corresponding slide 66, which will be now described. The slide 66 is associated with the slotted tubular guide 50 and is constituted by an element of plastics material with a low coefficient of friction, such as polyamide. It has a generally narrow U-shape so as to form a pocket for housing the lower region of the glass 10 near its corresponding side edge. The two cheeks of the slide 66 are indicated 68 and 70. A tubular appendage 72 with a cylindrical axial hole 72a projects from the outer face of the cheek 68. The appendage 72 is connected to the cheek 68 by a longitudinal bridge 74. The tubular appendage 72 is slidable with precision in the channel 56 of the tubular guide 50 and the bridge 74 extends through the slot 58. When the glass 10 is moved, the corresponding toothed cable 40 is coupled precisely for sliding in the channel 56 of the tubular guide 50. The teeth of the cable 40 are removed from a section 40b of the end portion 40b which is consequently cylindrical and smooth. At the end of the end section 40b is a bare section 40c of the core of the cable 40 which is constituted, for example, by a metal cable. The cylindrical section 40b is fitted into the hole 72a in the tubular appendage 72 like a pivot pin from below and the bare section 40c of the core projects above the appendage 72. An element 76 constituted by a metal sleeve is clamped onto the projecting portion 40c by plastic deformation. The tubular appendage 72 is thus firmly trapped between the sleeve 76 and the teeth of the end portion 40a so that the slide 66 is made fast for sliding with the flexible cable 40 but is rotatable relative thereto around the above-said axis of rotation Z. The glass 10 has a hole 78 (Figures 9 and 11) in its region which fits in the pocket in the slide 66. In correspondence with the hole 78, the cheek 70 of the slide 66 has an internal engagement tooth 80 having a lower portion of semicircular outline corresponding to the circular shape of the hole 78, and a sloping rear side, as can better be seen in Figure 11. A step 82 is formed in the cheek 68 of the slide 66 and acts as a support abutment for the lower edge of the glass 10, as shown in Figures 8, 9 and 11. The plastics material of the slide 66 is fairly resilient so that the cheek 70 can be bent away from the cheek 68. By virtue of the configuration of the slide 66 described above, the glass 10 can be coupled with the slide 66 by an extremely simple operation; in fact, it suffices to inset the lower region of the glass 10 into the pocket in the slide 66 until its lower edge meets the abutment 82. During this insertion, the cheek 70 is deformed resiliently by virtue of the camming action of the lower edge of the glass 10 on the sloping rear edge of the tooth 80. The dimensions are such that, when the glass 10 is fully inserted in the pocket, the tooth 80 snaps into the hole 78 to fix the glass 10 permanently to the slide 66. The rotatable connection of the toothed cable 40 and the appendage 72 on one hand, and of the end portion 38a of the sheath 38 and the bushing 62a, on the other hand, enables each slide 66 to be oriented in two positions substantially at 180° to each other, so that the slides 66 and the rails 12 can be coupled equally well to the glass 10 of a right-hand door as in Figure 4, or a left-hand door as in Figure 5. Figure 15 shows another embodiment of the rail, indicated 112, for the glass and the slide. The parts other from those of the rail 112 which are shown in Figure 15 are indicated by the same reference numerals as in the preceding Figures. The glass is again indicated 10 and also has holes similar to the holes 78 in its lower corner regions. The profile of the rail 112 is indicated 148. The profile 148 has a flat web 148a and a lateral C-shaped wing 148b with a bent edge or hook portion 148c. The web 148a has Z-shaped flanges 52 affixed thereto, which are similar to, and for the same purpose of, the flanges 52 of the first embodiment. A guide strip 150 of self-lubricating plastics material is associated to the profile 148. The guide strip 150 has a guide portion 150a with a longitudinal slot 150b so as to constitute a slotted tubular guide similar to the guide 50 of the first embodiment. A lateral C-shaped flange 150c extends from the guide portion 150a and includes a resilient flap 150d which, as shown, is snap-fitted in the cavity of the C-shaped wing 148b to fasten the strip 150 to the profile 148 by cooperation of the edge of the flap 150d with the hook portion 148c. As will be understood, the strip 150 may be permanently assembled to the profile 148 by simply sliding the strip 150 on the web 148a in the direction indicated by the arrow A. A slide, still indicated 66, similar or identical to the slide 66 in the previous drawings, is associated with the tubular guide 150. The two cheeks of the slide 66 are still indicated 68 and 70 respectively. The cheek 70 has a tooth which is similar to the tooth 80 in the previous drawings and snap-engages the periphery of the hole 78 in the glass 10. As will be understood, both in the embodiment of Figures 8 to 14 and in that of Figure 15, the slotted tubular guide 50 or 150 is extremely close to the corresponding edge of the glass 10, thus ensuring that the traction and thrust exerted on the glass 10 as it moves up and down act practically along the edges of the glass itself, thus avoiding the risk of the glass sticking in its guide channels as could occur in other known window-winders of the same category. Thanks to this feature, it is sufficient that the channels 11 extend only in the upper portion of the door and not along the full height of the cavity within the door. The window-winder of the invention may be supplied to the vehicle manufacturer preassembled, that is as a unit including the drive unit 14, the transmission members 16, the outlet tubes 42, the slides 66, and preferably also the rails 12 or 112 or at least their tubular guides 50 or 150. The fitting of the unit in a motor-vehicle door requires only the fixing of the drive unit 14 by means of its lugs 20, the fixing of the rails 12 or 112 if they are not already provided in the structure of the door (or the fixing of the tubular guides 150 to the profiles 148, if such profiles are already provided in the structure of the door), and finally the snap-engagement of the two slides 66 onto the glass 10.

Claims: A window-winder for a glass window, which can be lowered into a hollow panel, such as a motor-vehicle door, comprising: a reversible drive unit (14) with a body (18) which can be fixed within the hollow panel and which has an output gear (30), a pair of slides (66) for supporting and driving the window (10), spaced apart on opposite sides of the drive unit (14) and each having a lateral coupling appendage (72), a pair of transmission members (16) each comprising a fixed sheath (38) and a flexible, toothed pull-and-push cable (40) slidable in the sheath (38), the sheaths (38) being axially restrained with respect to the said body (18), a pair of rails (12; 112) having slotted tubular guides (50; 150), spaced apart on opposite sides of the drive unit (14) and in each of which the lateral coupling appendage (72) of one of the slides (66; 166) is engaged for sliding through the slot in the guide, and in which each sheath (38) extends from the body (18) of the drive unit (14) to a point below one of the rails (12; 112) and includes an end portion (38a) aligned with the rail (12; 112) and secured to a lower portion of the rail (12; 112), and each toothed cable (40) is meshed with the said output gear (30) and fixed to one of the appendages (72) of the slides (66; 166) by an end portion (40b) of the cable (40) which corresponds with the said end portion (38a) of the sheath (38), characterised in that the body (18) of the drive unit (14) has peripheral fixing means (20) which enable the body (18) to be fixed to a sidewall (4) of the panel located on one side or the other of the body (18), in that the lateral coupling appendage (72) on each slide (66) and the corresponding end portion (40b) of the cable (40) are rotatably secured to each other with respect to an axis (Z) which corresponds to the sliding direction of the slide (66), and in that the said end portion (38a) of each sheath (38), and the lower portion of the rail (12; 112) are rotatably secured to each other with respect to the said axis (Z). A window-winder according to claim 1, characterised in that the lateral appendage (72) on each slide (66) has a cylindrical hole (72a) and said corresponding end portion (40b) of the cable (40) is cylindrical, is restrained axially in said cylindrical hole (72a) and is free to rotate in said cylindrical hole (72a). A window-winder according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the lower portion of each rail (12) has a bushing (62a) and the end portion (38a) of the corresponding sheath (38) is restrained axially in said bushing (62a) and is free to rotate in said bushing (62a). A window-winder according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each rail (12; 112) comprises a profile (48; 148) having fixing means (52) for its fixing to said sidewall (4), and a guide strip (50; 150) of plastics fitted in the profile (48; 148) and having a longitudinal cylindrical channel (50; 150) with a longitudinal slot (50b; 150b) to constitute said tubular slotted guide. A window-winder according to claim 4, characterised in that said profile (48) has a C-shaped cross-section with a couple of wings (48b) having edges (48c) bent towards each other to retain the guide strip (50) within the profile. A window-winder according to claim 4, characterised in that said profile (148) has a lateral C-shaped wing (148b) with a hooking edge (148c) and the guide strip (150) has a lateral wing (150b) with a resilient flap (150d) which snap-fitted in the C-shaped wing (148b) to retain the guide strip (150) to the profile (148) by abutment of an edge of the resilient flap (150d) to the hooking edge (148c). A window-winder according to any of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that a lower portion of each said profile (48) has an appendage (60) having a bushing (62a) affixed thereto, which extends along said axis (Z), the end portion (38a) of the corresponding sheath (38) is rotatably mounted in the bushing (62a) , the corresponding guide strip (50) has a lower end which is above an upper end of the bushing (54), and the end portion (38a) of the sheath (38) has an end collar (38b) which is trapped between the lower end of the guide strip (50) and the upper end of the bushing (62a). A window-winder according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that each slide (66) includes a generally narrow, U-shaped portion with a pair of cheeks (68, 70) which can be opened out resiliently and define between them a pocket for housing a lower portion of the window (10), in that the lower portion of the window (10) has a hole (78), and in that one (70) of the cheeks has an engagement tooth (80) within the pocket, snap-engageabie in the hole (78) in the window (10). A window-winder according to claim 1, characterised in that the body (18) of the drive unit (16) is flattened and said peripheral fixing means thereof are constituted by peripheral lugs (20) for fixing the body (18) to said sidewall (4). A window-winder according to claim 1 or claim 9, characterised in that the drive unit (14) includes a reversible electric motor (22) mounted on the body (18) and in that the body (18) contains a reduction unit with a worm gear (26) fixed to the shaft (24) of the motor (22) and a gear (30) with two sets of teeth (32, 34) side by side, of which one (32) is meshed with the worm screw (26) and the other is meshed with the two flexible toothed cables (40).

Inventors: PEROSINO ALESSANDRO, PEROSINO, ALESSANDRO
Applicants: GATE SPA, GATE S.P.A.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: E05F11
IPC codes: E05F11, E05F15