Patent Publication Number: US-10316570-B2

Title: Window regulator for vehicle

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a window regulator configured to raise and lower a window glass of a vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A regulator is known in the art having a guide rail extending in an upward and downward direction; a slider base supported on the guide rail in a manner to be raisable and lowerable therealong, a window glass being mounted onto the slider base; a pair of drive wires that extend upwardly and downwardly from the slider base; a pair of upper and lower wire-guide members configured to guide the pair of drive wires; and a driver (drive motor) configured to drive the pair of drive wires, which are guided by the upper and lower wire-guide members (Patent Literature 1). 
     In such a type of window regulator, at least one of the upper and lower wire-guide members is supported by the guide rail, and this guide rail, due to space problems within the door, is mounted to a door panel (inner door panel) via mounting brackets (panel mounts) at positions (at inner positions from respective wire guide members along the extending direction of the guide rail) away from upper and lower end-portions of the guide rail (the upper and lower end-portions of the guide rail cannot be mounted onto the door panel). 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-246671 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Due to the demand for lighter-weight vehicles, there is also a demand for lighter-weight window regulators. Reducing the thickness of the metal sheet that configures the guide rail has been studied as one idea for achieving a lighter weight. However, if the thickness of the guide rail is reduced, a new problem occurs with the guide rail deforming. 
     In other words, due to the raising and lowering of the window glass, tension is applied to the end-portions of the guide rail via the drive wires and the wide-guide members. On the other hand, since the mounting positions of the guide rail onto the door panel are at inner positions from respective wire guide members along the extending direction of the guide rail (for example, a downward position from upper wire-guide member in the case of the upper wire-guide member), there is a possibility of the guide rail deforming upwardly and downwardly from the door panel mounting position. This deformation occurs in the vehicle width direction about the door panel mounting position(s), and is tentatively termed as “bowing deformation”. In addition to thickness reduction, in order to arrange the wire-guide members and the drive wires, the end portions of the guide rail are cut out, thereby changing the sectional shape of the guide rail (reducing the section coefficients), an increase in the torque of the drive motor also becomes a cause of “bowing deformation”. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to achieve a window regulator in which “bowing deformation” of the guide rail does not easily occur even if a reduction in thickness of the guide rail or a change in profile of the cross-section thereof occurs. 
     Solution to Problem 
     The present invention a window regulator is provided, including a guide rail extending in an upward and downward direction; a slider base supported on the guide rail in a manner to be raisable and lowerable therealong, a window glass being mounted onto the slider base; a drive wire connected to the slider base; a wire guide supported at one end portion of the guide rail, the wire guide having a winding part, onto which the drive wire is wound at a position offset from the guide rail in a vehicle width direction; and a driver configured to raise and lower the slider base via the drive wire. The wire guide is supported by the guide rail by at least a retainer and a pressing portion, the retainer being engaged with the guide rail to prevent the wire guide from moving away from the guide rail in the vehicle width direction, and the pressing portion being engaged with the guide rail so as to press the guide rail toward the other end of the guide rail. The pressing portion is formed at a position toward the other end relative to the retainer, and formed at a position that is offset from the retainer in a vehicle width direction toward the winding part. 
     In an embodiment, the pressing portion is positioned on a plane of movement in which the drive wire, which moves in accordance with the wire guide, or the pressing portion is positioned from the plane away from the retainer. 
     It is desirable for the pressing portion to overlap with part of a panel mount, with respect to the upward and downward direction, when viewed in a vehicle forward and rearward direction, the panel mount configured to mount the guide rail to a door panel. 
     In an embodiment, the wire guide includes a pulley bracket; and a pulley, onto which the drive wire is wound, the pulley being rotatably supported by the pulley bracket. The retainer includes a pulley axle which supports the pulley and the pulley bracket onto the guide rail. The pressing portion is formed on the pulley bracket. 
     It is desirable for the pressing portion to be connected to the pulley bracket, wherein the pulley bracket is positioned to sandwich the pulley, in the vehicle width direction, by the retainer, the pulley bracket includes a pulley-axle supporter with which the pulley axle engages, and the pulley axle presses the pulley-axle supporter toward the other end. 
     It is practical for one of the pressing portions to be a projection and for the other of the pressing portions to be a hole, into which said projection engages. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the present invention, a window regulator can be achieved in which “bowing deformation” of the guide rail does not easily occur even if a reduction in thickness of the guide rail or a change in profile of the cross-section thereof occurs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a window regulator, to which the present invention is applied. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear elevational view of the window regulator. 
         FIG. 3  is side elevational view of the window regulator. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the IV section in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of the V section in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is cross-sectional view taken along the VI-VI line in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along the VII-VII line in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along the VIII-VIII line in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view taken along the IX-IX line in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view showing a guide rail and a wire-guide member, to be mounted to the guide rail, in a state before being mounted thereto. 
         FIG. 11  is a skeleton explanatory view showing the relationship between the wire-guide member, mounted onto the guide rail, and a pressing arm (pressing member) of the wire-guide member. 
         FIG. 12  corresponds to  FIG. 4  and shows another embodiment of a window regulator pertaining to the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is cross-sectional view taken along the XIII-XIII line in  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     A window regulator  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3  raises and lowers a window glass (not shown) that is attached to the inner side of a door panel (not shown) of the vehicle. “Upward” and “Downward” indicated by arrows in  FIGS. 1 through 3  correspond to the upward and downward directions of the vehicle. 
     The window regulator  10  is provided with a guide rail  11 , which is an elongated member, and the guide rail  11  is mounted to a door panel (inner panel) via mounting brackets  12  and  13  that are provided at different positions on the guide rail  11  with respect to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail  11 . The mounting brackets (panel mounts)  12  and  13  are mounted onto the surface on the vehicle inner side of the guide rail  11  by burred portions  12   a  and  13   a . A slider base  14 , which supports a window glass, is supported to move along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail  11 . Respective ends of a pair of drive wires  15  and  16  ( FIG. 2 ) are connected to the slider base  14 . 
     The drive wire  15  extends upwardly along the guide rail  11  from the slider base  14  and is guided by a guide pulley (wire guide)  17 , which is provided at the close vicinity of the upper end of the guide rail  11  via a pulley bracket  30 . The guide pulley  17  is rotatable about an axle pin (retainer pin)  17   a , and the guide pulley  17  supports the drive wire  15  via a wire guide groove (winding part)  17   g  (see  FIG. 6 ) formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof. The drive wire  16  extends downwardly along the guide rail  11  from the slider base  14  and is guided by a guide piece  18 , which is provided at the close vicinity of the lower end of the guide rail  11 . The guide piece  18  is fixed onto the guide rail  11 , and the drive wire  16  is supported to advance and retreat along a wire guide groove (not shown) that is formed in the guide piece  18 . 
     The drive wires  15  and  16  that exit from the guide pulley  17  and the guide piece  18  are inserted into guide tubes  21  and  22 , and are wound around a wind-up drum (not shown) that is provided inside a drum housing  20 , to which the guide tubes  21  and  22  are connected. The drum housing  20  is mounted to the door panel (inner door panel). The wind-up drum is rotatably driven by a drive motor (driver)  25 . Upon the wind-up drum being forwardly/rearwardly rotated, one of the drive wires  15  and  16  increases its winding amount onto the wind-up drum (is wound onto the wind-up drum), and the other of the drive wires  15  and  16  is fed out from the wind-up drum, so that the slider base  14  moves along the guide rail  11  in accordance with the pulling and slackening relationship of the pair of drive wires  15  and  16 . The window glass is raised and lowered in accordance with the movement of the slider base  14 . 
       FIGS. 4 through 10  show a support structure around the guide pulley  17  at an upper end portion of the guide rail  11 . As shown best in  FIGS. 4 and 9 , the general cross section, excluding the upper and lower end portions, of the guide rail  11  has a top hat cross section, provided with a base wall  11   a , side walls  11   b  and  11   c , and collar walls  11   d  and  11   e  which extend in outward directions from free edges of the side walls  11   b  and  11   c . The side wall  11   b  is substantially orthogonal to the base wall  11   a , whereas the side wall  11   c  is slightly opened out without being orthogonal to the base wall  11   a.    
     Since the side wall  11   c  and the collar wall  11   e  of the guide rail  11  support the guide pulley  17  and the pulley bracket (wire guide)  30 , the side wall  11   c  and the collar wall  11   e  have an irregular shape upward from the close vicinity of the mounting bracket  12 . Namely, when the height direction is defined as a direction orthogonal to the base wall  11   a , the side wall  11   c  is provided first with an inclined wall  11   c   1  ( FIG. 6 ) having a smoothly-increasing height from the close vicinity of the mounting bracket  12 , a high wall  11   c   2  ( FIG. 6 ), and a pulley lead-in wall  11   c   3  ( FIG. 6 ) which suddenly reduces in height from the high wall  11   c   2 . 
     The collar wall  11   e , which is communicably connected with an upper end (with respect to the height direction) of the inclined wall  11   c   1 , is configured of a wide collar wall  11   e   2  via an increasingly-widening collar wall  11   e   1  ( FIG. 4  and  FIG. 10 ), which gradually increases in width (the length in the vehicle forward and rearward direction) in an upward direction from the close vicinity of the mounting bracket  12 . A lock-engagement hole  11   f  is formed at the vicinity of a boundary between the increasingly-widening collar wall  11   e   1  and the wide collar wall  11   e   2 . The vicinity between the increasingly-widening collar wall  11   e   1  and the wide collar wall  11   e   2  is a part of the guide rail  11  that has the largest section coefficients (strengthened section-coefficient portion) with regard to the neutral axis in the vehicle forward and reward direction. Whereas, an upper end of the pulley lead-in wall  11   c   3 , with respect to the height direction, is provided with a low collar wall  11   e   3 , which is substantially parallel with the base wall  11   a . The wide collar wall  11   e   2  and the low collar wall  11   e   3  are connected by an inclined wall  11   e   4  ( FIG. 6  and  FIG. 10 ). A pulley pin support hole  11   g  and a pulley-bracket support hole  11   h  are formed in the low collar wall  11   e   3 . 
     As shown in the exploded perspective view, from the rear side, in  FIG. 10 , the pulley bracket  30 , which is configured of a molded article of a synthetic resin material, is provided with a guide-pulley support wall  31 , which is flat and circular in shape and has a linear cut-out portion at the base wall  11   a  side; a pressing arm (offset supporter/offset extension)  32  extending downwardly from the guide-pulley support wall  31 ; an eaves portion  33  positioned with respect to an upward and downward direction of the guide pulley  17 ; and a guide tube supporter  34 . As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 10 , the eaves portion  33  is communicably connected with the pressing arm  32 . 
     A pulley-pin insertion hole  31   a  ( FIG. 6 ) is formed in a central portion of the guide-pulley support wall  31 . Amount projection  31   b  ( FIGS. 6 and 10 ), which fits into the pulley-bracket support hole  11   h , is provided on a surface of the guide-pulley support wall  31  that faces toward the low collar wall  11   e   3 . The pressing arm  32  has a substantially tapered triangular shape, in a plan view, and extends in a direction that is substantially parallel to an extending direction of the guide rail  11  from the pulley-pin insertion hole  31   a . A lock-engaging projection  32   a , which fits into the lock-engagement hole  11   f , is formed on the end portion of the pressing arm  32 . The engagement portion between the lock-engagement hole  11   f  and the lock-engaging projection  32   a  has a positional relationship so as to overlap with part of the mounting bracket  12 , with respect to the upward and downward direction, when viewed in the vehicle forward and rearward direction. Furthermore, an inclined rib  32   b , which abuts against an inclined wall  11   e   4  of the guide rail  11  is formed on the surface of the pressing arm  32  on the guide rail  11  side. 
     A plurality of reinforcement ribs  31   c  and  31   d  ( FIGS. 7 through 10 ) are formed on an undersurface (the surface facing the low collar wall  11   e   3  side of the guide rail  11 ) of the guide-pulley support wall  31  of the pulley bracket  30 . The plurality of reinforcement ribs  31   c  and  31   d  extend in an opposite direction to that of the eaves portion  33  from the guide-pulley support wall  31  and extend in the extending direction of the guide rail  11 . The reinforcement rib  31   c  abuts against an inner surface of the side wall  11   c  of the guide rail  11 , and the reinforcement rib  31   d  extends along the outer edge portion (the edge portion opposite to the side wall  11   c ) of the low collar wall  11   e   3  of the guide rail  11 . 
     The pulley bracket  30  and the guide pulley  17  are supported by the low collar wall  11   e   3  of the guide rail  11  in the following manner. As shown best in  FIG. 6 , the metal axle pin  17   a  is inserted into an axle hole  17   b  of the guide pulley  17 , and an small-diameter end portion  17   a   1  of the axle pin  17   a  is fitted into the pulley pin support hole  11   g  of the low collar wall  11   e   3 . Simultaneously, the lock-engaging projection  32   a  of the pressing arm  32  is fitted into the lock-engagement hole  11   f  and the mount projection  31   b  is fitted into the pulley-bracket support hole  11   h . The axle pin  17   a  is provided with a flange  17   a   2  on the opposite end of the axle pin  17   a  to the small-diameter end portion  17   a   1 , and a bottomed hole  17   a   3  is formed into the axle portion of the axle pin  17   a . The axle pin  17   a  is mounted onto the low collar wall  11   e   3 , by clinching the head of the small-diameter end portion  17   a   1  in a state where a clinching jig is inserted into the bottomed hole  17   a   3 , so that the guide pulley  17  is rotatably supported between the flange  17   a   2  of the axle pin  17   a  and the guide-pulley support wall  31  (and the small-diameter end portion  17   a   1  and the low collar wall  11   e   3 ), and the pulley bracket  30  is mounted onto the low collar wall  11   e   3 . The mount projection  31   b  is thermobonded in a state where the mount projection  31   b  is fitted into the pulley-bracket support hole  11   h . This mount projection  31   b  is also a mounting portion for mounting the pulley bracket  30  to the guide rail  11 . The drive wire  15  is wound around the wind-up drum, provided inside the drum housing  20 , after being wound onto the wire guide groove  17   g  on the peripheral surface of the guide pulley  17 . 
     The above-described pulley bracket  30  is mounted to the low collar wall  11   e   3  (guide rail  11 ) at two positions, at the axle pin  17   a  and at the mount projection  31   b  (pulley-bracket support hole  11   h ). In this state, due to the lock-engaging projection  32   a  of the pressing arm  32  engaging with the lock-engagement hole  11   f  of the guide rail  11  (wide collar wall  11   e   2 ), deformation of the guide rail  11  when a downward tension is applied on the guide pulley  17  via the drive wire  15  can be suppressed. Since the mounting bracket  12  is mounted to the door panel via a mounting bolt  12   b , this gives no opportunity for bowing deformation to occur, downward from the mounting bracket  12 , in the guide rail  11 ; and since the engaging portion between the lock-engagement hole  11   f  of the guide rail  11  and the lock-engaging projection  32   a  of the pressing arm  32  has a positional relationship so as to overlap with part of the mounting bracket  12 , with respect to the upward and downward direction, when viewed in the vehicle forward and rearward direction, the possibility of bowing deformation occurring in the guide rail  11  is further decreased. Furthermore, due to the inclined rib  32   b  abutting against the inclined wall  11   e   4 , the combined section coefficients, with regard to the neutral axis in the vehicle forward and reward direction, of the guide rail  11  and the pulley bracket  30  increase, thereby suppressing deformation of the guide rail  11 . Furthermore, the reinforcement ribs  31   c  and  31   d  which are formed on the underside of the guide-pulley support wall  31  also, and the same manner, suppress (bowing) deformation of the pulley bracket  30  itself and the bowing deformation of the guide rail  11 . 
     The deformation prevention effects of the guide rail  11  due to the engagement between the lock-engaging projection  32   a  and the lock-engagement hole  11   f  will be hereinafter explained. As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in the present embodiment, the engaging portion (pressing portion) X between the lock-engagement hole  11   f  and the lock-engaging projection  32   a  is located at an edge side of the guide rail  11  at which the guide pulley  17  is not present and is positioned on a plane  15 P that includes the drive wire  15  that is wound onto the wire guide groove  17   g  of the guide pulley  17 . In other words, the engaging portion (pressing portion) X between the lock-engagement hole  11   f  and the lock-engaging projection  32   a  is formed at a position that is offset, from the pulley pin support hole  11   g  and the pulley-bracket support hole  11   h , in a vehicle width direction toward the wire guide groove (winding part)  17   g . Accordingly, even if the guide pulley  17  is pulled downwardly by tension applied on the drive wire  15 , such force simply acts as a compression force in the upward and downward direction of (the wide collar wall  11   e   2  of) the guide rail  11 , and does not cause bowing deformation.  FIG. 11  is a skeleton view showing the positional relationship between the engagement portion X, of the lock-engaging projection  32   a  and the lock-engagement hole  11   f , and the plane  15 P including the drive wire  15 . If an engaging portion X′, between the lock-engaging projection  32   a  and the lock-engagement hole  11   f , is positioned (offset) from the plane  15 P (including the drive wire  15 ) away from the mounting bracket  12 , a force in an opposite direction of bowing deformation acts on (the wide collar wall  11   e   2  of) the guide rail  11 , so that bowing deformation does not occur. 
       FIG. 12  and  FIG. 13  show another embodiment of the window regulator, according to the present invention.  FIG. 12  corresponds to  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 13  corresponds to  FIG. 6 . This embodiment is a modification of the shape of the pulley bracket  30 A in which, in addition to the pulley bracket  30  of the above embodiment, a pulley-axle supporter (support wall)  35 , which is integral with the pressing arm  32  and extends from downward to upward directions in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , is provided. The pulley-axle supporter  35  is parallel with the guide-pulley support wall  31  and forms an insertion space  36 , for the guide pulley  17 , between the pulley-axle supporter  35  and the guide-pulley support wall  31 . An insertion support hole  35   a  for the axle pin  17   a  is formed in the end portion (the upper end in the drawing) of the pulley-axle supporter  35 . 
     On the other hand, the pulley bracket  30 A of this embodiment differs from the pulley bracket  30  of the above-described embodiment with respect to an eaves-cutout section  33   a  ( FIG. 12 ), which is formed as a partial cutout from the eaves portion  33 . The guide pulley  17  can be inserted into the insertion space  36  from the eaves-cutout section  33   a . The other configurations of this embodiment are the same as the previous embodiment, and the same parts are designated by the same numerals. 
     In this embodiment, upon the axle pin  17   a  being inserted into the axle hole  17   b  of the guide pulley  17  (which is inserted into the insertion space  36  of the pulley bracket  30 A) and the insertion support hole  35   a  of the pulley-axle supporter  35 , the small-diameter end portion  17   a   1  being fitted into the pulley-pin insertion hole  31   a  and being fixedly clinched at the pulley pin support hole  11   g  of the guide rail  11 , the flange  17   a   2  is fit-engaged into the insertion support hole  35   a  so that both ends of the axle pin  17   a  are supported by the pulley bracket  30 A. Accordingly, the force applied on the guide pulley  17  via the drive wire  15  can be efficiently transferred to the guide rail  11  via the pressing arm  32 . 
     The above descriptions are of embodiments in which the pulley bracket  30  having the guide pulley  17  is configured as a wire guide; however, the present invention can also be applied to a wire guide member (e.g., such as the guide piece  18  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) that is not provided with a guide pulley. 
     The pressing arm  32  of the above embodiment has a substantially tapered triangular shape, in a plan view, and one lock-engaging projection  32   a  that fits into the lock-engagement hole  11   f  is formed on the end portion of the pressing arm  32 ; however, the pressing arm can be formed in a substantially rectangular shape. In such an embodiment, a pair of lock-engaging projections  32   a  may be provided at either corner of the rectangular pressing arm. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The window regulator according to the present invention can be applied to vehicles in general, which have a window glass that is raised and lowered. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           10  Window regulator 
           11  Guide rail 
           11   a  Base wall 
           11   b ,  11   c  Side walls 
           11   c   1  Inclined wall 
           11   c   2  High wall 
           11   c   3  Pulley lead-in wall 
           11   d ,  11   e  Collar walls 
           11   e  Collar wall 
           11   e   1  Increasingly-widening collar wall 
           11   e   2  Wide collar wall 
           11   e   3  Low collar wall 
           11   e   4  Inclined wall 
           11   f  Lock-engagement hole 
           11   g  Pulley pin support hole 
           11   h  Pulley-bracket support hole 
           12 ,  13  Mounting brackets (panel mounts) 
           12   a  Burred portion 
           12   b  Mounting bolt 
           14  Slider base 
           15 ,  16  drive wire 
           15 P plane including drive wire 
           17  Guide pulley (pulley/wire guide) 
           17   a  Axle pin (retainer/pulley axle/retainer pin) 
           17   a   1  Small-diameter end portion 
           17   a   2  Flange 
           17   a   3  Bottomed hole 
           17   b  Axle hole 
           17   g  Wire guide groove (winding part) 
           21 ,  22  Guide tube 
           25  Drive motor (driver) 
           30 ,  30 A Pulley bracket (wire guide) 
           31  Guide-pulley support wall 
           31   a  Pulley-pin insertion hole 
           31   b  Mount projection (retainer) 
           31   c ,  31   d  Reinforcement ribs 
           32  Pressing arm 
           32   a  Lock-engaging projection (pressing portion/projection) 
           32   b  Inclined rib 
           33  Eaves portion 
           33   a  Eaves-cutout section 
           34  Guide tube supporter 
           35  Pulley-axle supporter (support wall) 
           35   a  Insertion support hole 
           36  Insertion space 
         X Engaging portion (pressing portion)