Claims
- 1. A rotationally biasing regulator comprising, in combination:
- drive means for producing a force for moving a windowpane;
- single arm drive transmission means for transmitting the force for moving a windowpane, comprising a single drive arm having a first location fixedly attached to the drive means;
- attachment means fixedly attachable to a windowpane for connecting the single drive arm to a windowpane; and
- a spring exerting a rotational biasing force on the attachment means, wherein a first end of the spring is mounted on the single drive arm at a second location, and a second end of the spring is mounted on the attachment means, operatively connecting the drive transmission means and the attachment means.
- 2. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 1 wherein the attachment means and the drive transmission means are moveable between an operating position and a ship position, further comprising means for releasably securing the windowpane, attachment means and drive transmission means in the ship position.
- 3. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 2 wherein the means for releasably securing the attachment means to the drive transmission means comprises:
- alignable holes in the drive transmission means and the attachment means, the holes being aligned when the attachment means is in the ship position; and
- a clip removably insertable through the holes to releasably secure the attachment means to the drive transmission means in the ship position.
- 4. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 1 wherein the drive transmission means further comprises a rotationally mounted sector gear receiving the force and directly engaging the single drive arm.
- 5. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 4 wherein the drive arm is provided with at least a first portion attached to the attachment means, and a second portion unitary with the first portion extending towards the sector gear and positioned outboard of the first portion, wherein the second portion has means for releasably securing the attachment assembly in a ship position.
- 6. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 4 wherein the attachment means comprises an attachment assembly fixedly attached to the windowpane and a slider assembly slidingly attached to the attachment assembly and operatively connected to the first end of the drive arm.
- 7. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 6 wherein the attachment assembly comprises a windowpane mounting bracket and a lift channel fixedly attached to the windowpane mounting bracket and provided with a slot, and
- the slider assembly comprises a pivot pin mounted to one end of the drive arm, a slider rotatably mounted on the pivot pin and slidingly mounted in the slot of the lift channel, and a second pin fixedly attached to the slider which acts as a mount for the second end of the spring to receive the biasing force of the spring.
- 8. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 7 wherein the slider comprises a pair of slider segments and the slider segments snap fit together.
- 9. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 7 wherein the second pin has a base segment and a projection extending generally perpendicular to the base segment to assist securing the second end of the spring to the slider assembly.
- 10. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 7 wherein the slider has pair of lift channel receiving valleys nesting over the lift channel at the slot, and the valleys allow the slider to pivot inboard and outboard relative the lift channel.
- 11. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 6 further comprising the windowpane having a bottom edge, and wherein the spring is positioned generally outboard of the bottom edge of a windowpane.
- 12. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 6 further comprising the windowpane having a bottom edge, wherein the first location of the drive arm is a first end rigidly attached to the sector gear, and the second location is a second end which is positioned generally directly below the bottom edge of the windowpane.
- 13. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 6 wherein the attachment assembly comprises a windowpane mounting bracket and a pair of rollers attached to the windowpane mounting bracket, each roller positioned on one side of the spring, and
- the slider assembly comprises a pivot pin mounted to one end of the drive arm, a glider plate rotatably mounted over the pivot pin, and a C-channel fixed to the glider plate and receiving the rollers,
- wherein the first end of the spring is mounted over the pivot pin, and the second end of the spring is mounted over a second pin fixedly attached to the glider plate, exerting rotationally biasing force on the glider plate.
- 14. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 13 wherein the glider plate has a spring mounting cavity and the first end of the spring is mounted in the glider plate spring mounting cavity over the pivot pin.
- 15. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 14 wherein the second pin is mounted in the glider plate spring mounting cavity.
- 16. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 6 wherein the attachment assembly comprises a windowpane mounting bracket and a C-channel and the slider assembly comprises:
- a pivot pin adjustably mounted to one end of the drive arm; and
- a glider plate rotatably mounted over the pivot pin, having a pair of rollers that roll in the C-channel, and provided with a spring mounting cavity wherein the first end of the spring is mounted in the glider plate spring mounting cavity over the pivot pin, and the second end of the spring is mounted to the glider plate, rotationally biasing the glider plate.
- 17. The rotationally biasing regulator of claim 16 wherein the second end of the spring exerts biasing force on a pin rigidly attached to the glider plate.
- 18. A rotationally biasing regulator for controlling movement of a windowpane in a travel plane comprising, in combination:
- drive means for producing a force to move the windowpane, comprising a drive motor having a pinion;
- drive transmission means for transmitting the force to move the windowpane, comprising a sector gear engaging and rotated by the pinion and a drive arm rigidly connected to the sector gear;
- an attachment assembly fixedly attachable to the windowpane for connecting the drive arm to the windowpane; and
- biasing means for exerting a rotational biasing force on the attachment means, having a first end mounted on the drive arm and a second end mounted on the attachment means, placing torque on the attachment means relative to the drive arm.
- 19. A motor vehicle door having an inner panel and an outer panel forming a support structure, comprising, in combination:
- a pair of generally vertical glass run channels mounted to the support structure;
- a windowpane having a top edge and a bottom edge, moveable from an open position to a closed position in the glass run channels;
- drive means for moving the windowpane;
- an arm-and-sector assembly comprising a sector gear rotatable by the drive means and a single drive arm rigidly attached to the sector gear;
- an attachment assembly comprising an attachment bracket secured to the windowpane and a channel extending along at least a portion of the bottom edge of the windowpane;
- a slider assembly slidably mounted in the channel and rotatably attached to the single drive arm; and
- a spring exerting a rotational biasing force on the windowpane, having a first end and a second end, connected at a first end to the single drive arm, and connected at a second end to the attachment assembly, placing torque on the attachment assembly relative the single drive arm and biasing the top edge of the windowpane in a lateral direction.
- 20. A pre-assembled door module for insertion into a vehicle door, comprising, in combination:
- an inner panel which acts as a mounting surface; and
- a rotationally biasing regulator mounted to the mounting surface for controlling the motion of a windowpane, comprising,
- drive means for producing a force to move the windowpane,
- single arm drive transmission means for transmitting the force of the drive means to move the windowpane, comprising a sector gear rotatable by the drive means and a single drive arm rigidly attached to the sector gear;
- attachment means for connecting the drive transmission means to the windowpane, and
- a spring producing a biasing force and having a pair of ends, wherein a first end of the spring is mounted on the single drive arm, and a second end of the spring is mounted on the attachment means, operatively connecting the drive transmission means and the attachment means and placing torque on the attachment means.
- 21. The pre-assembled door module of claim 20 further comprising at least one functional hardware subassembly in addition to the rotationally biasing regulator mounted to the mounting surface.
- 22. The pre-assembled door module of claim 20 further comprising the windowpane attached to the rotationally biasing regulator prior to installation.
- 23. The pre-asembled door module of claim 22 further comprising a header and a beltline, and the pre-assembled door module is insertable into a vehicle door from below the beltline.
- 24. The pre-assembled door module of claim 23 wherein means are provided for releasably securing the windowpane in the ship position.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/667,983, file Jun. 19, 1996, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (27)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
667983 |
Jun 1996 |
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