Patent Publication Number: US-2007107311-A1

Title: Fixing support for vehicle opening frame actuating device

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      The application claims priority to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/FR04/03065 filed on Nov. 30, 2004, which claims priority to French Patent Application No. FR 03 14 303 filed on Dec. 5, 2003; 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates generally to a fixing support assembly that makes it possible in particular to fix a window or a door actuating device in a vehicle opening frame. The actuating device is designed to ensure the opening and closing of the window or the opening frame in a vehicle, such as a sunroof, a door or quarter window, or an electric sliding door, for example.  
      The term “window regulator” will be used hereafter to denote a window opening actuating device, whether for a door, a quarter window, a roof light, or an opening frame, such as a door or a sunroof.  
      A window regulator in a door is described for example in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,910. The window regulator includes a motor driving a drum by a gear. The drum drives movement of a cable that actuates movement of a window along a rail.  
      For reasons of ease of handling and for protection of the window regulator, the gear and the drum are generally arranged in a module. The module containing the drum and the gear can also include the motor and an electronic unit, or include openings for modular assembly with such components. Such a module is illustrated in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,910. The module is closed by three screws arranged around panels of the module surrounding the drum of the window regulator. The three screws make it possible to ensure satisfactory closing around an entire periphery of the module.  
      The window regulator is designed to be arranged in a vehicle opening frame, for example in a car door, in a roof zone of a vehicle, or in a body component, such as a vehicle&#39;s rear quarter panel. The following description, which relates to a vehicle door, can be employed with any opening frame or any rear quarter panel.  
      Two zones are defined in a vehicle door that are separated by a supporting panel. The zones are a so-called wet zone located towards an outside of the vehicle that is delimited by the body and the supporting panel, and a dry zone located towards an inside of the vehicle that is delimited by a door lining and the supporting panel.  
      A vehicle door includes numerous electronic and mechanical components, including a window regulator device, a lock and audio equipment, etc. These components are arranged in the door and are generally fixed to the supporting panel either on a dry zone side (in particular for the electronic components) or on a wet zone side (for example, the guide rails and the window actuation cable).  
      For the window regulator device, it is preferable in certain cases for the drive motor and the electronic unit to be arranged in the dry zone, while the drum and the drive cable of the window are arranged in the wet zone of the door. This arrangement of the window regulator device is in particular described in patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,386.  
      It is then necessary to provide two parts to the window regulator device, namely 1) the drum, the cable with the rails and the window to be arranged in the wet zone and 2) the motor to be arranged in the dry zone. The motor has to drive the drum of the window regulator.  
      This constraint on the arrangement of the components of the window regulator complicates the mounting of the window regulator actuating device in the door.  
      The invention proposes a fixing support assembly that makes it possible in particular to simplify the mounting of a window regulator or a door actuating device in a vehicle opening frame.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention proposes a fixing support assembly including a supporting element having a first part and a second part, which are essentially planar and parallel. At least one of the first part and the second part includes at least one retaining member. The fixing assembly also includes a fixing element having a nut equipped with a stop.  
      According to one characteristic, at least one of the first part and the second part of the supporting element includes at least one fixing clip. According to one characteristic, one of the first part and the second part of the supporting element includes a housing designed to receive the fixing element. According to one embodiment, the stop of the fixing element is designed to remain captive in the housing. According to one characteristic, the supporting element includes an opening that passes through the supporting element, and which is situated essentially in a center of the supporting element. According to one characteristic, the supporting element is made of molded plastic.  
      The invention also relates to a vehicle opening frame including a dry zone, a wet zone separated from the dry zone by a supporting panel, and a fixing support assembly according to the invention that is fixed to the supporting panel. The first part of the supporting element is arranged in the wet zone, and the second part of the supporting element is arranged in the dry zone.  
      According to one characteristic, the opening frame includes a window regulator or a door actuating motor fixed to the second part of the supporting element. According to one embodiment, the motor is retained by at least one retaining member arranged on the second part of the supporting element. According to one embodiment, the motor is fixed to the supporting panel by a single screw cooperating with the fixing element. According to one embodiment, the motor includes a casing having a bore designed to receive the screw and a part of the fixing element. According to one embodiment, the bore includes a first section having a first diameter and a second section having a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The second section of the bore is designed to receive at least one part of the nut of the fixing element. According to one embodiment, the bore also has an alignment section adjacent to the second section.  
      The invention also relates to a method for mounting a frame actuating motor of a window regulator on a supporting panel of a vehicle opening frame. The panel separates a dry zone from a wet zone, and the method includes the step of fixing a fixing support assembly according to the invention to the supporting panel. A first part of the supporting element is arranged in the wet zone, and a second part of the supporting element is arranged in the dry zone. The method further includes the steps of holding the motor on the second part of the supporting element of the fixing support assembly, adjusting the position of the motor rotatably about a drive axis, and fixing the motor to the supporting panel in a rotation stop position about the drive axis by the fixing element of the fixing support assembly.  
      According to one characteristic, the step of fixing the motor to the supporting panel is carried out by a screw designed to draw the nut of the fixing element into a bore provided in a casing of the motor.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, given as an example only and with reference to the drawings, which show:  
       FIG. 1  shows a diagram of a window regulator actuating device with a fixing support assembly according to the invention;  
       FIG. 2   a  shows a diagrammatic view of a fixing element of the assembly in  FIG. 1  in a mounted position;  
       FIG. 2   b  shows a diagrammatic view of the fixing element of the assembly in  FIG. 1  in an immobilization position;  
       FIG. 3  shows a diagram of a supporting panel including the fixing support assembly according to the invention; and  
       FIG. 4  shows a diagram of a window regulator actuating motor fixed with the fixing support assembly according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      According to the invention, a fixing support assembly includes a supporting element and a fixing element. The supporting element includes a first part and a second part, which are essentially planar and parallel. At least one of the first part and the second part of the supporting element includes at least one retaining member designed to retain a component that is to be fixed, for example a window regulator or a door actuating device. The fixing element includes a nut equipped with a stop designed to ensure the fixing of the supporting element and of the component to be fixed to a panel, for example in a vehicle door.  
       FIG. 1  is a diagram of a fixing support assembly  8  according to the invention. The fixing support assembly  8  includes a supporting element having a first part  10 , a second part  20  and a fixing element  30 .  
      The first part  10  and the second part  20  of the supporting element are essentially planar and parallel. The supporting element is designed to be fixed to a panel with a hole through it, with the first part  10  on one side of the panel and the second part  20  on the opposite side of the panel.  
      The supporting element can be made of molded or machined plastic. The first part  10  and the second part  20  of the supporting element can be made in a single element.  
      The first part  10  of the supporting element can include fixing clips  12 , making it possible to fix the supporting element to the panel. The supporting element can however be fixed to the panel by any other suitable ways, such as screwing or gluing, or a combination of these ways.  
      The second part  20  of the supporting element includes at least one retaining member, for example two hooks  21  and  21 ′, designed to retain the component to be fixed. The retaining member can take any other suitable form, for example an arc-shaped groove.  
      According to one embodiment, the clips  12  and the hooks  21  and  21 ′ can both be arranged on one of the first part  10  and the second part  20  of the supporting element.  
      The supporting element can also include an opening  15  that passes through the supporting element, and which is situated essentially in a center of the supporting element. The opening  15  makes it possible to operationally connect the component (such as a window regulator motor, for example) set to the second part  20  of the supporting element to a component arranged on the other side of the panel to which the supporting element is fixed (for example, a cable drive drum). A drive axis  70  can be defined as an axis perpendicular to a plane of the supporting element that passes essentially through the center of the opening  15  in the supporting element.  
      The fixing support assembly  8  according to the invention also includes a fixing element  30  having a nut  31  equipped with a stop  32 . The fixing element  30  is designed to ensure the fixing of the component (such as a motor casing  50 ) to the second part  20  of the supporting element.  
      One of the first part  10  and the second part  20  of the supporting element can include a housing  11  designed to receive the fixing element  30 . In  FIG. 1 , the first part  10  includes the housing  11 , but it would be equivalent to provide the housing  11  in the second part  20  of the supporting element.  
      According to one embodiment, the stop  32  of the fixing element  30  can remain captive in the housing  11 . The housing  11  includes a screw hole  23  passing through the housing  11  that opens onto a surface of the second part  20  of the supporting element to allow the nut  31  of the fixing element  30  to open on the side of the second part  20 . The screw hole  23  is provided in the supporting element according to the invention even in the absence of the housing  11  for the fixing element  30 . Preferably, the screw hole  23  passes through the first part  10  and the second  20  part.  
      By retaining the stop  32  in the housing  11  of the first part  10  of the supporting element, it is possible to retain the fixing element  30  integral with the supporting element, and to pre-position the nut  31  for more rapid fixing of the component to the supporting element.  
       FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  diagrammatically illustrate the fixing of a component (for example, a gear casing  50 ) to the supporting element by the fixing element  30 . In  FIG. 2   a , the gear casing  50  is in a fixing position. The nut  31  and the stop  32  of the fixing element  30  are in the housing  11  of the first part  10  of the supporting element. In  FIG. 2   b , the gear casing  50  is in an immobilization position. The nut  31  has been drawn by a screw  40  into a section  52  of a bore  80  provided in the gear casing  50 , while the stop  32  has remained captive in the housing  11 .  
      The gear casing  50  to be fixed by the fixing support assembly  8  according to the invention can advantageously be provided with the bore  80  including sections  51 ,  52  and  53 , making it possible to facilitate the alignment of the element to be fixed with the fixing nut  31 . The particular bore  80  provided in the gear casing  50  to be fixed includes a first section  51  having a first diameter d 1  and a second section  52  having a second diameter d 2  greater than the first diameter d 1 . The second section  52  of the bore  80  is designed to receive at least one part of the nut  31  of the fixing element  30 . The bore  80  can include a widened alignment section  53  adjacent to the second section  52 .  
      The first section  51  of the bore  80  allows for the insertion of the screw  40  that reaches the nut  31 . Under the effect of screwing, the screw  40  draws the nut  31  into the second section  52  of the bore  80  until the stop  32  is placed against the screw hole  23 .  
      The fixing support assembly  8  according to the invention can be used particularly advantageously for mounting a window regulator in a vehicle door.  
       FIG. 3  diagrammatically illustrates a supporting panel  100  forming a separation between a dry zone A and a wet zone B in a vehicle door or a body part, such as a rear quarter panel.  
      The supporting panel  100  includes an opening  15 ′ passing through the supporting panel  100 , making it possible to slide the supporting element according to the invention to place a first part  10  in the wet zone B and a second part  20  in the dry zone A.  
      The opening  15 ′ has dimensions greater than the opening  15  of the supporting element. However, the dimensions of the opening  15 ′ can be minimized to limit the problems of sealing between the dry zone A and the wet zone B separated by the supporting panel  100 .  
      A motor  60 , shown in  FIG. 4 , can then be fixed to the second part  20  of the supporting element on the side of the dry zone A. The motor  60  can be simply retained by the retaining member(s)  21  of the second part  20  in a partially fixed state. The motor  60  can then be fixed by a single screw  40  that cooperates with the fixing element  30 .  
      In the embodiment illustrated, the retaining members are two hooks  21  and  21 ′. The screw hole  23  designed to allow the cooperation of the screw  40  with the fixing element  30  can then be provided essentially equidistant from the two hooks  21  and  21 ′. The motor  60  is thus fixed at three points against the supporting element according to the invention. The fixing fully secures the motor  60  on the supporting panel  100 , while allowing easy access for dismantling if necessary. The screw  40  also is situated on the side of the dry zone A of the supporting panel  100 .  
      The motor  60  includes a gear casing  50  with which a worm  55  engages. The gear casing  50  can be machined to have a bore  80  including sections  51 ,  52  and  53  as described with reference to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b . The gear casing  50  can also be machined, for example with flat sections, to cooperate with the shape of the hooks  21  and  21 ′ provided on the second part  20  of the supporting element.  
      When the gear casing  50  is placed on the second part  20  of the supporting element and retained by the hooks  21  and  21 ′, the centering does not have to be perfect. The gear casing  50  can be turned about a drive axis  70  to position a widened section  53  of the bore  80  opposite the screw hole  23  of the supporting element.  
      The screw  40  is then introduced into a first section  51  of the bore  80 . When the nut  31  has been drawn into a second section  52  of the bore  80 , the motor  60  can no longer rotate freely about the drive axis  70 . The screw  40  and the nut  31  are then tightened to place the stop  32  against the supporting element and to remove any degree of freedom from the gear casing  50  of the motor  60 .  
      The location of the sections  51 ,  52  and  53  of the bore  80  on the gear casing  50  also allows for the satisfactory positioning of an axis of the motor  60  relative to the drive axis  70 . The drive axis  70  coincides with a drive axis of a drum also designed to be fixed to the element in the wet zone B. An axle spread between the drive axis  70  of the drum and the axis of the worm  55  of the motor  60  can therefore be well controlled. Preferably, the bore  80  of the gear casing  50  is proximate to the worm  55  of the motor  60 .  
      Moreover, the nut  31  allows for the reaction torque of the motor  60  in operation to be withstood. A window regulator motor applies approximately 3 m/N of reaction to the element to which it is fixed. With time, this reaction torque can cause play in the attachment of the supporting element. Within the scope of this invention, this reaction torque is absorbed by the screw  40  and the nut  31 , and the screw threads of which are such that the reaction torque contributes to the tightening of the fixing. The stop  32  is therefore held in the immobilization position ( FIG. 2   b ) during the operation of the motor  60 .  
      Of course, this invention is not limited to the embodiments described as an example. Thus, the shapes of the fixing supporting element and its location can vary depending on the components to be fixed and their arrangement in the dry zone and the wet zone of a vehicle door or rear quarter panel.  
      In particular, the invention has been described with a fixing element situated in the wet zone and screwing from the dry zone, but the reverse can also be implemented without exceeding the scope of the invention. In general, the terms first and second parts in the description can be reversed without exceeding the scope of the invention.  
      The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than using the example embodiments which have been specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.