Movable or removable closures – Stored in housing – Reciprocates vertically in and out of housing
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-26
2003-12-09
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Stored in housing
Reciprocates vertically in and out of housing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06658795
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicular power window regulator, and more particularly to a vehicular power window regulator adapted to absorb compression and tension relative to curvilinear motion of window glass when the window glass is lifted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, power window regulators are apparatus for automatically sliding up and down a vehicular door window glass according to vertical manipulation of a power window switch. A power window regulator according to the prior art, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, is mounted with a guide rail
104
underneath a door glass
102
. The guide rail
104
is rotatably mounted with a main arm
106
and a sub arm
108
, which cross in X-arm shape. The main arm
106
is connected thereunder to a driving motor
112
by way of a sector gear
110
, while the sub arm
108
is rotatably connected thereunder to one side of the door trim. The driving gear
112
is meshed with the sector gear
110
to rotate same within a predetermined range, while the sector gear
110
is connected to the main arm
106
to rotate same and to allow the door glass
102
to slide up and down.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, a hinged connection structure between the guide rail
104
and the main arm
106
includes a slider
116
slidably arranged at the guide rail
104
, a slider shaft
118
vertically protruded from the slider
116
and a hinge groove formed at the main arm
106
for the slider shaft
118
to be inserted thereinto.
In the conventional power window regulator thus described, when the motor
112
is driven, the sector gear
110
rotates the main arm
106
, and by the rotation of the main arm
106
, the slider
116
moves along the guide rail
104
to move the door glass
102
up and down. The main arm
106
is vertically operated on a linear route while the door glass
102
moves on a curvilinear route, because the door glass
102
is shaped with predetermined curvature. As a result, compression and tension are generated at the connection area between the guide rail
104
and the main arm
106
. These forces arise from the paths followed by those two parts in lifting of the door glass
102
such that the main arm
106
is bent inwardly and outwardly, and the sector gear
110
and the driving motor are not properly meshed, resulting in generation of noise.
In order to overcome the afore-mentioned problems, the driving motor and sector gear are often reinforced, or the size of teeth at the gears is increased to prevent mis-meshing, but these measures can hardly be a fundamental solution as only strength has been increased against the compression and tension generated by vertical motion of the door glass. There is another problem with the reinforced strength thus described in that weight and size of each part, including parts of the main arm, are increased, resulting in an increase in the manufacturing cost and the overall weight of the regulator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a vehicular power window regulator adapted to allow compression and tension generated during vertical motion of a door glass to be compensated at a connection area between a main arm and a guide rail to prevent the main arm from being bent, and to reduce noise generated in a sector gear, whereby there is no need of increasing weight or size of each part for reinforced strength, leading to reduction in manufacturing cost and overall weight.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular power window regulator, comprising a guide rail, a main arm, a driving motor and flex means. The guide rail is fixed to a lower end of the door glass. The main arm and a sub arm are connected for linear motion on the guide rail and mounted crosswise. The driving motor is connected to a sector gear mounted underneath the main arm to rotate the main arm. The flex means provides flexibility to a connection area between the main arm and the guide rail when the door glass vertically moves. The flex means includes a slider mounted on the guide rail, a slide shaft on the slider, and a grip. The grip has an inner circumferential surface placed over the slide shaft opposite the slider, and an external circumferential surface thereof inserted into the main arm.
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patent: 4706412 (1987-11-01), Kobrehel
patent: 4825594 (1989-05-01), Escaravage
patent: 4829630 (1989-05-01), Church et al.
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patent: 5195211 (1993-03-01), Krajenke
patent: 5243785 (1993-09-01), Nieboer et al.
patent: 5392563 (1995-02-01), Cardine
patent: 5647094 (1997-07-01), Mariel
patent: 5771534 (1998-06-01), Church
patent: 5784832 (1998-07-01), Lee Van
patent: 6425204 (2002-07-01), Renner
patent: 6-137023 (1994-05-01), None
Hyundai Motor Corporation
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Redman Jerry
LandOfFree
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