Compact electric door window regulator for motor vehicles

Abstract

 The device comprises a rigid tubular element, in which a cable rack is sliding, on which the sliding glass is fixed through a bracket, and a reducer-motor unit directly engaged on the above said tubular element, arranged in the door panel, parallel to the lateral profiles for the sliding movement of the window glass. Said tubular element, when suitably shaped, may also be the guiding elementforthe sliding glass. The reducer-motor unit is applied to any point of the tubular element by a rigid connecting element. The unit acts directly on the cable rack inside the rigid element, so as to avoid loss of load and to allow a drastic reduction of the length of the cable rack.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to devices for moving sliding glasses of motor vehicles and more particularly the electric door window regulators which are mounted on most motor cars being at present manufactured.

[0002] On conventional electric door window regulators with rack cable, the reducer and motor unit is engaged with the cable at a variable distance from the guide element, thus causing loss of load and efficiency of the system, said variable distance being indicated with "X" in Fig. 1, showing a typical electric door window regulator of the prior art.

[0003] Furthermore, the longer is the stretch, the higher is the risk of noise arising from the cable scraping on the walls of the containing tube. The practical application of the present systems, in addition to fixing the guiding or dragging element at least in two points A, involves the fact of fixing also the reducer-motor unit at least In three points on the inside of the door panel. This means waste of time for the assembler and consumption of materials such as the motor plate B, shock-absorbers C and fixing screws D.

[0004] Another drawback of the present systems can be seen in the need of normally protecting with vibration damping means E the cable stretch between the motor and the guide element, so as to avoid the beat noise against the door sheet iron.

[0005] In order to make up for the loss of load of the present systems and to warrant the required functions, if is necessary to oversize the electric motor which therefore is heavy, cumbersome and expensive.

[0006] With the present invention on the contrary it is possible to reduce the weight of the system, the size and the cost range of the reducer and motor unit as it results very clearly from Pig. 2, showing a direct comparison between a conventional unit of the prior art and the compact unit of the present invention.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a device that has not the above mentioned drawbacks and can be manufactured and installed in a simple and economic way.

[0008] The above objects are obtained by the compact electric door window regulator of the present invention, characterized by the following elements, illustrated in detail in Fig. 3, showing its structure and spatial arrangement in the door panel.

[0009] The reducer-motor unit 4 is applied directly on the guide element 1 through a rigid connecting element 2, being also the sealing cover 7 of the reducer 9, through two fastening means 3. This allows the direct engagement of the transmission gear of the reducer with the cable rack 11. The electric compact door window regulator is applied in the door panel through two fastening elements 5 only, either in the positions shown in the drawing or in other positions as requested by the door manufacturers.

[0010] With the door window regulator mounted in the door, when the motor 4 is energized by the current throus the feeding wires 10, the dévice is actuated and rotation of the reducer gear causes directly the cable rack 11, to slide upwards or downwards, drawing the sliding glass fixed to the drag plate 8 in turn fixed at the end of the cable rack 11. The cable rack 11 has a total length correspondes to the run of the sliding glass plus a very little portion represented bu the development of the bend of the rigid connecting element 2. The reduced length of the cable, in addition to the economical advantage, involves the technical advantages consisting of the lower loss of load due to elimination of sliding friction in the portion of tube connecting motor and guide, and elimination of possible beat noise between cable and tube as well as between tube and door panel. At the lower end of the run, the cable rack is arranged in a flexible protecting sheath 6 having also the function of keeping the cable in a predetermined path.

[0011] The advantages arising from the present invention may be summarized as follows:

(A) - The cable rack is shortened with elimination of severe paths and consequently reduction of the loss of load and noise.

(B) - Adoption of a reducer-motor unit of reduced size with saving of space, weight and costs.

(C) - Reduction of unitary weight of the equipment.

(D) - Simplification of the equipment structure and manufacture.

(E) - Simplification of installation in the door panel.

(F)-Reduction of the elements making the equlpmebt,

[0012] Of course, while the principle of the Invention is observed, the pratical detalls and the erhbodiments bf the elements of the system may be widely varied in comparison with the embodiment described and shown as a non limiting example only, and thetherefore many variations, additions, modifications and/or substitutions may be resorted to the device of the invention, without departing however from its spirit and objects, nor falling outside its scope of protection, as it is also better defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1) Device for moving sliding glasses of motor vehicles with an electric door window regulator, characterized by the fact that the reducer-motor unit (9) is directly applied on a guide element (1) of the regulator.

2) Device according to Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the reducer-motor unit (9) is directly applied to a point of the sliding element of the moving system for the sliding glass, such as the said element (1) having not a function of glass guide but only of element containing the glass drawing system.

3) Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that the reducer-motor unit (9) is applied to the guide element or sliding element through a rigid connection element (2), either curved or straight, made of plastics or metal, adapted to contain the transmission of the motion from the reducer-motor unit to the cable rack (11).

4) Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized . by the fact that the reducer-motor unit (4,9) is. fixed to the guiding or drawing element (1) without fixing points to the door, being supported by the same guiding or drawing element (1).

5) Device for moving sliding glasses of motor vehicles with an electric compact door window regulator, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings, for the above mentioned objects.

Drawing