Patent Publication Number: US-11028632-B2

Title: Window lift assembly

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to German Patent Appl. No. 10 2018 119 474.9 filed on Aug. 10, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a window lift assembly, in particular for a door of a motor vehicle. 
     Related Art 
     Window lift assemblies for doors of motor vehicles are well known in the prior art. Earlier motor vehicles had a window pane with a manually operable mechanism in which a carriage is held movably on a rail. The carriage bears the window pane and moves together with the window pane along the rail by means of a crank and a cable pull to lower the window pane for opening the window or to raise the window pane for closing the window. 
     Modern motor vehicles use an electrically activatable electric motor drive in place of the manually actuated mechanism. The electric motor raises or lowers a window lift rail that carries the pane. The window pane runs laterally in guides on the vehicle door so that the window pane can be lowered and raised rectilinearly. Window lift assemblies of this general type are found virtually in all modern motor vehicles. 
     The window panes in motor vehicles that have wider vehicle doors also have correspondingly wider window panes. However, known window lift assemblies require the entire wide window to be lowered or raised integrally over the full width. This requirement has disadvantages on passenger comfort and negative pressure behavior. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a window lift assembly that reduces or eliminates the disadvantages in the prior art, in particular for motor vehicle windows of increased width. It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved vehicle door. Furthermore, it is an object to provide an improved motor vehicle, and a method for activating a window lift assembly to achieve improved comfort. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment of the invention relates to a window lift assembly of a motor vehicle window having a window pane. The window pane can be divided into at least one first pane region and a second pane region in the width direction of the window pane. The window lift assembly has first and second window lifts. The first window lift carries the window pane in a first pane region and the second window lift carries the window pane in a second pane region. The two window lifts are actuable independently of each other to move the window pane rectilinearly up and down, to incline the window pane and/or to move the window pane up and down in an inclined manner. Thus, the window pane can be opened and closed or left open in a slanted state. For example, a side window may have a side window pane that may be open at the front or rear in the direction of travel and closed at the rear or front in the direction of travel. 
     Windows on conventional vehicle doors are likely to have a width less than a dimension of one seat row. However, wide vehicle doors may have a window pane that extends over more than just one seat row and possibly over two seat rows. 
     The first window lift may be arranged away from the second window lift in a width direction of the window pane, and the regions of the window lifts that directly carry the pane may be spaced apart in a width direction of the window pane. The window pane together with the two window lifts can therefore be arranged securely. A secure installation can thus be achieved even in the case of wider vehicle windows. 
     The first and second window lifts may be provided respectively with first and second drive motors, such as electric motors. As a result, individual activation and actuation can take place to move the window pane up or down rectilinearly or slanted or to slant the window pane. 
     A control unit may be provided to control or regulate actuation of the first and second window lifts, and particularly the first and second drive motors. Thus, the movement speed and angle of the slant can be controlled in a targeted manner. 
     The invention also relates to a vehicle door having the above-described a window lift assembly. 
     The invention further relates to a motor vehicle having the above-described vehicle door. 
     The invention also relates to a method for activating a window lift assembly so that in a first operating mode, the first window lift and the second window lift are activated simultaneously and identically in such a manner that the window pane is lowered or raised rectilinearly and without tilting with respect to its width direction. 
     In a second operating mode, the first window lift may be activated for lowering to a greater extent than the second window lift such that the window pane is slanted with respect to its width direction, or the second window lift may be activated for lowering to a greater extent than the first window lift such that the window pane is slanted with respect to its width direction, or the first window lift may be activated for raising to a greater extent than the second window lift such that the window pane is slanted with respect to its width direction, or the second window lift may be activated for raising to a greater extent than the first window lift such that the window pane is slanted with respect to its width direction. 
     In a third operating mode, the first window lift and the second window lift may be activated simultaneously and identically in such a manner that the previously slanted window pane is lowered or raised slanted with respect to its width direction. 
     In a fourth operating mode, the first window lift may be activated for lowering to a greater extent than the second window lift such that the previously slanted window pane is straightened with respect to its width direction, or the second window lift may be activated for lowering to a greater extent than the first window lift such that the previously slanted window pane is straightened with respect to its width direction, or the first window lift may be activated for raising to a greater extent than the second window lift such that the previously slanted window pane is straightened with respect to its width direction, or the second window lift may be activated for raising to a greater extent than the first window lift such that the previously slanted window pane is straightened with respect to its width direction. 
     An embodiment is explained in detail below with reference to the drawing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic lateral partial illustration of a motor vehicle having a vehicle door with a window lift assembly according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows part of a motor vehicle  1  having a door  2  with a window lift assembly  3  for actuating or for lifting and lowering a window pane  4  of a motor vehicle window  5 . 
     The window pane  4  preferably is guided in the motor vehicle window  5  and is carried by the window lift assembly  3 . 
     The window pane  4  advantageously is divided into at least one first pane region  6  and a second pane region  7  in the width direction  8  of the window pane  4 . 
     The window lift assembly  3  here has at least one first window lift  9  and a second window lift  10 . The first window lift  9  carries the window pane  4  in the first pane region  6  and the second window lift  10  carries the window pane  4  in the second pane region  7 . 
     Each respective window lift  9 ,  10  has a drive motor as the electric motor  11 , a window lift rail  12  and a carrying element  13  that carries the window pane. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the window pane  4  is wide design and extends, for example, over two seat rows of the motor vehicle  1 . 
     The two window lifts  9 ,  10  are actuable independently of each other to move the window pane rectilinearly up and down, to incline the window pane and/or to move the window pane up and down in an inclined manner. 
     The first window lift  9  is arranged away from the second window lift  10  in a width direction  8  of the window pane  4 , and the regions of the window lifts, the carrying elements  13  that directly carry the window pane  4  are spaced apart from one another in a width direction  8  of the window pane  4 . 
     Furthermore, a control unit  15  controls or regulates the driving motors  11  that actuate the first window lift  9  and the second window lift  10 . 
     The window lift assembly  3  can be operated with a method for activating a window lift assembly  3  so that in a first operating mode the first window lift  9  and the second window lift  10  are activated simultaneously and identically in such a manner that the window pane  4  is lowered or raised rectilinearly and without tilting with respect to its width direction  8 . 
     In a second operating mode, the first window lift  9  is activated for lowering to a greater extent than the second window lift  10  such that the window pane  4  is slanted with respect to its width direction  8 , or the second window lift  10  is activated for lowering to a greater extent than the first window lift  9  such that the window pane  4  is slanted with respect to its width direction  8 , or the first window lift  9  is activated for raising to a greater extent than the second window lift  10  such that the window pane  4  is slanted with respect to its width direction  8 , or the second window lift  10  is activated for raising to a greater extent than the first window lift  9  such that the window pane  4  is slanted with respect to its width direction  8 . 
     In a third operating mode, the first window lift  9  and the second window lift  10  are activated simultaneously and identically in such a manner that the previously slanted window pane  4  is lowered or raised slanted with respect to its width direction  8 . 
     In a fourth operating mode, the first window lift  9  is activated for lowering to a greater extent than the second window lift  10  such that the previously slanted window pane  4  is straightened with respect to its width direction  8 , or the second window lift  10  is activated for lowering to a greater extent than the first window lift  9  such that the previously slanted window pane  4  is straightened with respect to its width direction  8 , or the first window lift  9  is activated for raising to a greater extent than the second window lift  10  such that the previously slanted window pane  4  is straightened with respect to its width direction  8 , or the second window lift  10  is activated for raising to a greater extent than the first window lift  9  such that the previously slanted window pane  4  is straightened with respect to its width direction  8 . 
     The vehicle door  2  may be a wing door that can be pivoted open laterally, as is the case in conventional vehicles in which the vehicle door pivots about a vertical axis, and also can pivot up, for example about an axis that runs obliquely with respect to the vertical. Alternatively, the vehicle door  2  can be a door that pivots open laterally about a vertical axis. 
     The motor vehicle  1  in the illustrated embodiment does not have a B pillar, but the motor vehicle  1  can have a B pillar. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
           1  motor vehicle 
           2  door 
           3  window lift assembly 
           4  window pane 
           5  motor vehicle window 
           6  first pane region 
           7  second pane region 
           8  width direction 
           9  first window lift 
           10  second window lift 
           11  electric motor 
           12  window lift rail 
           13  carrying element 
           15  control unit