Movable or removable closures – Panel with closure feature – With means to accommodate window accessory; e.g.,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2003-06-03
Strimbu, Gregory J. (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Panel with closure feature
With means to accommodate window accessory; e.g.,...
C049S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06571515
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Motor vehicle doors with module carriers, which carriers are conventionally installed on the inner panels of doors and upon which are pre-mounted all, or at least most, components of the door mechanism, such as, for instance, window-lift, loudspeaker, lock aggregates, and similar elements, are finding increasing importance in motor vehicle technology. In all cases, the effort is being made to pre-mount the electrical or mechanical window-lift on the module carrier.
When this is done, the following problems arise:
Giving consideration to the structural strength of the partially assembled door, which door comprises an outer panel and an inner panel, in the area of the window line, a broad, often stiffened, metal web of the inner panel must continually remain in place, so that a cutout of the said inner panel clearly lies lower than said window line. Certain types of window-lifts, such as a scissors-jack, bring about no difficulties in the use of pre-mounted module carriers. However, since they cannot guide the window pane with precision, these types of window-lifts require the installation of guide bars for the pane inside the hollow space of the door. This measure is costly and leads to opportunities for breakdown. In the practice, on this account, a window-lift with a double cable is preferred and because of the inherent precision of such lifts as to window guidance, supplementary guide bars become superfluous. The disadvantage of cable operation is found therein, in that the slide bars of the pane carrier must be just as long as corresponds to the entire thrust height of the window pane.
In the case of cable window-lifts, which are pre-mounted on a module carrier, problems arise in the final assembly of motor vehicles with deeply placed window lines, the depth of which lines exceed the inside length of the cutout section in the inner panel of the door.
DE 195 11 105 proposes a solution in which the sliding bars of the cable window-lift are permitted to extend over the edge of the module carrier. During the mounting of the module carrier upon the inner panel, the upper ends of the sliding bars are pushed by tilting the said module carrier into the door hollow space behind the window rim piece of the inner panel, and thereafter turning the module carrier into position in the flat plane of the door, whereupon it is made fast. In order to enable this rotary motion, both the cutout in the inner door panel and the module carrier itself is shaped as a trapezoid. When one considers the entire weight of a pre-mounted module carrier with all components thereon, this stated solution is not assembly-friendly. Additionally, elements for the adjustment of the module carrier are required, especially to fix its exact position in relation to the external window guides.
Consequently, it is the purpose of the invention to make available a motor vehicle door which offers improved possibilities for the mounting of a module carrier with a double cable window-lift, the guide bars of which are longer than the open dimensions of the mounting cutout in the door inner panel and that in the case of low placed window lines of the vehicle, a sufficient thrust of the window panel is thereby guaranteed.
Another purpose of the invention is to make available a door for a motor vehicle in which the precision of the adjustment of the module carrier is improved and the fastening of the same onto the inner panel of the door is simplified, wherein in any case, a secure, peripheral sealing of the module carrier against the inner panel is made possible.
The respective ends of the guide bars of the window-lift lie at the same height with their associated cable pulleys behind the inner panel of the door, when viewed from inside the motor vehicle, and the opposite ends of the said guide bars, with their cable pulleys, are placed in front of the said inner panel. By this arrangement, those ends of the guide bars located behind the inner panel, when pre-mounted on the module carrier, extend beyond the periphery of the carrier. On the other hand, those ends of the guide bars positioned in front of the inner panel lie within the confines of the periphery of the carrier. This arrangement gives rise to several advantages beyond the state of the technology. These advantages are that:
the guide bars can make use of the entire length which is permissible by the hollow space within the door independently of the peripheral bounds of the module carrier,
the module carrier can lie against the inner panel about its entire peripheral length and be subject to sealing at the edges thereof, the sealing can be carried out in a “Sealing Line” of simple geometry, and
the mounting of the pre-mounted module carrier is simplified, since after the insertion of the extended ends of the guide bars in the hollow space of the door, behind the inner panel of said door, a simple flap motion suffices in order to position the module carrier, further, in doing so, no danger exists that the sealing will be displaced by any rotational movement.
These advantages remain independent as to whether or not the extension of the guide bars occurs above or below the outline of the module carrier as may possibly occur in accord with individual, respective fabrications.
Designing the axles of the cable pulleys as cylindrical shell bearings allows the module carrier to be connected directly with the inner panel of the door through these shells by bolts which penetrate therethrough.
The number of the fastening elements for the module carrier is reduced by this arrangement. It is, however, of special advantage that a portion of the force which acts upon the window-lift is acquired from the inner panel of the door.
The shell bearings of the cable pulleys can further be made use of in a simple and advantageous manner, in positioning and aligning the module carrier during its mounting on the inner panel of the door. For this purpose, the inner panel of the door can be provided with alignment elements, for instance in the form of alignment pins or bushings, which engage in the shell bearing. If the alignment elements can be internally threaded, these can serve as nuts for the fastening bolts which penetrate the shell bearings of the module carrier. Alignment elements of this kind can act as supplementary aids to the mounting, when they engage in the shell bearings of the cable pulleys.
After the adjustment of the guide bars of window-lift (along with the cable pulleys which belong thereto) in the hollow space of the door, then the module carrier with the shell bearings of the cable pulleys can be placed or hung onto the corresponding alignment elements without additional side to side swinging. The said module carrier is thus precisely positioned and relieves the assembly person of handling excess weight.
Assume that the lower ends of the guide bars for the cable operated window-lift extend beyond the lower edge of the module carrier, while at the same time the upper ends remain within the periphery thereof. A possibility then arises for bringing the module carrier into position by simply laying it on the inner panel of the door. This advantage comes about because of a recessing in the upper edge of the inner panel of the door, particularly in that area of the upper ends of the guide bars after the alignment of their lower ends in the lower area of the hollow space of the door. The advantage may be dependent upon an enabling distance of these guide bars (and the corresponding pulley assemblies) from the module carrier.
The cable pulleys allow themselves to be placed closely under the window line because of the corresponding shaping of the recessed area of the inner panel. The upper cable pulleys are then well protected between the module carrier and the aligned inner liner of the door.
In such an arrangement, it is advantageous if the pane support, which comprises a clamping shoe for the pane and also a movable slider on the guide bar, encloses the recessed edge around the inner panel in its U-shaped construction. If this is done, t
Hasse Dirk
Rahmstorf Peter
Samways Dave
Barnes & Thornburg
Sommer Allibert-Lignotock GmbH
Strimbu Gregory J.
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