Patent Application
20060130405
The application claims priority to German Application No. 10 2004 061 254.4 which was filed on Dec. 20, 2004.
The invention relates to an assembly including a window regulator drive and a motor/gear unit connected to the window regulator drive, wherein the assembly is particularly useful for a window regulator system for vehicles.
The window regulator drive usually comprises a drum for a driving cable. Rotation of the drum results in a displacement of the driving cable, which in turn results in displacement of a window pane, in particular of a window pane for a motor vehicle. The window regulator drive is usually fixed to a vehicle structure, for example a door structure, on a wet side. The term “wet side” designates an area of the vehicle door that is subject to humidity, for example due to water drops that pass through a seal engaging the displaceable window pane. An opposite side of the vehicle structure is a dry side. The dry side is sealed from the wet side so that no unwanted humidity is allowed to enter. Typically, a motor/gear unit is arranged on the dry side of the vehicle structure. This allows a motor to be used for driving the window regulator drive, which is not entirely encapsulated.
Since the window regulator drive is arranged on the wet side, the interface between the window regulator drive and the motor/gear unit must be fully watertight so as to prevent water from entering the dry side from the wet side. Further, the motor/gear unit should be removable without having to remove the window regulator drive. This allows replacement of the motor/gear unit in case of malfunction without having to remove the window regulator drive as well. Finally, it is desirable that the motor/gear unit can be assembled manually on a door mounting line, with no additional fastening element being needed.
The invention achieves the above-referenced objectives by providing an assembly with a window regulator drive and a motor/gear unit connected to the window regulator drive. The assembly comprises a fastening mechanism adapted to engage a vehicle structure, and latching mechanism for connecting the motor/gear unit to the window regulator drive. The fastening mechanism associated with the vehicle structure is formed independent from the latching mechanism, thus the motor/gear unit can be connected to the window regulator drive and removed therefrom without having to disconnect the window regulator drive from the vehicle structure.
According to a preferred embodiment, the fastening mechanism and the latching mechanism are provided on a housing of the window regulator drive. This provides integration of all attachment elements into a single component so that the constraints resulting therefrom (e.g. material and manufacturing process) affect a single component only. This results in low manufacturing costs for the assembly.
Preferably, the fastening mechanism and the latching mechanism are arranged adjacent an accommodation space for a cover, the cover blocking the fastening mechanism and the latching mechanism. This reliably prevents the fastening mechanism and the latching mechanism from disengaging from the vehicle structure and the motor/gear unit, respectively, after the assembly is completely mounted.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
Housing 12 further comprises a latching mechanism 22 that is also formed integrally with housing 12 and has the shape of hooks. Latching mechanism 22 also extends in a direction that is parallel to the axis of rotation R of drum 14.
In a first mounting step, window regulator drive 10 is attached to a separating wall 24 that separates a wet area from a dry area of a vehicle. Separating wall 24 is in particular a structure within a door of a vehicle. Window regulator drive 10 is attached on the wet side of the separating wall 24 such that flange 20 extends through an opening 26 in the separating wall 24. Upon mounting the window regulator drive 10 to the separating wall 24, the fastening mechanism 18 is elastically deflected radially inwardly when pushed through opening 26 in the separating wall 24.
In a completely mounted condition, the hooks of the fastening mechanism 18 elastically snap back into their original position so that housing 12 of window regulator drive 10 is firmly held within the opening 26 of the separating wall 24. In this condition, an upper surface 28 (see
In a subsequent mounting step (see
As a last mounting step, a cover 32 is clipped onto the assembly that includes the window regulator drive 10 and the motor/gear unit 30. The cover 32 comprises a cylindrical plate and a skirt portion, the skirt portion being arranged in an annular accommodation space that is formed between flange 20 and latching mechanism 22. The skirt portion of cover 32 both prevents the fastening mechanism 18 from being deflected radially inwardly, and latching mechanism 22 from being deflected radially outwardly. In other words, the cover 32 acts as a blocking element that ensures that the fastening mechanism and the latching mechanism 22 remain in their positions engaging the respective counterpart.
If motor/gear unit 30 is to be replaced for some reason, it is possible to first remove the cover 32 and then to remove the motor/gear unit 30 by spreading apart the hooks of latching mechanism 22 so that the motor/gear unit 30 can be removed from the window regulator drive 10. The window regulator drive 10 as such remains firmly secured within opening 26 of separating wall 24.
Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2004 061 254.4 | Dec 2004 | DE | national |
