This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 10189704.9, filed on Nov. 2, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to doors of motor vehicle of the type indicated in the preamble of Claim 1.
The field of application of the present invention is that of motor vehicles provided with side doors with frameless window and with power window-regulator system. The invention is designed in particular to be advantageously applied in lines for final assembly of vehicles in order to improve the functional and aesthetic quality of the product and enable implementation of adaptive assembly methods that will improve the productivity and reliability of the production processes.
Constituting a specific object of the present invention is a door of the type indicated in the preamble of Claim 1 that can be installed on the vehicle with simple and fast operations, ensuring proper matching with its own seat on the side of the vehicle, according to the nominal design position.
In particular, an object of the invention is to render objective the regulation carried out with a servo-assisted manual method, ensuring in the configuration with door closed and window raised proper matching with its own seat on the side in order to guarantee proper operation of the window and a reliable weatherproofing against penetration of water or air in the closed condition of the window.
With a view to achieving the aforesaid purposes, the subject of the invention is a door of the type indicated above, characterized in that:
operatively set between the aforesaid slider member and the aforesaid window pane is an elastically deformable member;
blocking means are provided to secure said slider member on said window pane;
in the released condition of said blocking means, the aforesaid elastically deformable member is in an undeformed resting configuration, in which it keeps the window pane in an out-of-tolerance position, i.e., more raged and/or more shifted longitudinally, with respect to its correct position of assembly on said slider member;
the aforesaid blocking means being designed to secure said window pane in a correct position of assembly thereof on said slider member, in which said elastically deformable member is deformed with respect to its resting configuration.
Thanks to said arrangement, the door according to the invention enables the operation of regulation of the correct position of the window pane to be carried out in an easy, fast, and precise way.
According to the invention, it is in fact sufficient to provide the aforesaid door structure with the window pane connected to one or more slider members with the interposition of one or more elastically deformable members of the type indicated above and with the aforesaid blocking means initially in their released condition, so that each of said elastically deformable members is in its undeformed condition and the pane is consequently kept in the aforesaid out-of-tolerance position, i.e., more raised and/or more shifted longitudinally (for example, shifted back), with respect to its correct position of assembly on each slider member.
In said initial condition, the pane is set in a position away from its raised closing position.
Starting from said condition, according to the method of the invention, the regulating device is activated to bring about a movement of the window as far as its raised closing position, where it comes into contact against the edge of the motor-vehicle door opening or against a mock-up of the edge of the door opening (according to whether the operation of regulation is carried out directly with the door already mounted on the vehicle, or else off-line in a workstation where a mock-up of the edge of the door opening is provided).
In this way, when the window pane reaches the aforesaid raised closing position, it moves automatically into the correct position with respect to the slider member or members, thanks to a simultaneous deformation of the aforesaid elastically deformable member. In this condition, the connection between the pane and the slider member is blocked by means of the aforesaid clamping means, and correct regulation of the pane is thus obtained.
Preferably, the door according to the invention is designed to facilitate also the operation of regulation of the position of the pane in the direction orthogonal to the general plane of the pane. For this purpose, the guide means for controlling vertical movement of the pane comprise at least one elongated guide element having a top end connected in an articulated way to the structure of the door about a longitudinal axis (i.e., an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, with reference to the mounted condition of the door).
Thanks to said characteristic, the operation of regulation of the correct position of the pane in the direction orthogonal to the general plane of the pane can be simply carried out by bringing the pane into its raised position and causing rotation of the ensemble constituted by the guide element and the pane about the aforesaid axis of articulation until proper engagement is obtained of the top edge of the pane against the edge of the opening of the motor-vehicle door (in the case where the regulation is carried out on the motor-vehicle assembly line) or of a mock-up of said edge (in the where the regulation is carried out in a regulation workstation, located off-line).
The structure of the door is provided with means for blocking the aforesaid guide element with respect to the structure of the door in a pre-set position about the aforesaid axis of articulation. In the preferred embodiment, said means are constituted by screw devices that engage a bottom end of the guide element as well as a slit made in a bracket forming part of the structure of the door.
As emerges clearly from the characteristics indicated above, the invention enables regulation of the correct position of the window pane to be carried out with simple and fast operations, which can be readily automated, with considerable saving in terms time on the part of the operators.
Said result is obtained primarily thanks to the provision of the aforesaid elastically deformable member, the function of which is to set the pane always in a position, established beforehand, outside the design limits (i.e., shifted further along z and x).
Preferably, the method according to the invention is characterized in that said operation of regulation of the correct position of the pane is carried out in a dedicated workstation, off the motor-vehicle assembly line, by providing contrast elements that simulate the edge of the motor-vehicle door opening that is to come into contact with the edge of the pane in the closed condition of the latter, in that said contrast elements are controlled in position by respective actuator means, and in that said actuator means are controlled as a function of signals issued by measuring means designed to detect the edge of the motor-vehicle door opening.
In this case, by carrying out assembly on a specifically equipped bench, it is consequently possible to carry out in a precise way compensation for the position in x, y and z, through the aforesaid contrasts, which are self-adapted on-process on the basis of the geometrical measurements made on each body. In this way, any critical operations on the final vehicle assembly line are avoided.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention emerge from the ensuing description with reference to the annexed drawings, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which:
In
As has been said, the door structure 20 does not include a window frame projecting above the top edge 22. Consequently, in the raised position of the pane 21, the top edge 210, the front edge 211, and the rear edge 212 of the pane 21 come directly into contact with corresponding portions 100, 101, 102 (
Said result implies a correct positioning of the pane 21 with respect to the structure of the door with consequent need, during the operations of assembly of the door, to carry out an operation of regulation of the position of the pane. As has been mentioned above, the invention achieves the object of rendering the operation of window regulation simple, fast, and precise, with the use of automatic-regulating devices.
The structure 20 of the door is provided, in the case of the example illustrated herein, according to the traditional technique, by means of coupling of an external panel of sheet metal with an internal framework, which is also made of sheet metal.
With reference to
With reference in particular to
With reference to the specific embodiment illustrated in
With reference once again to
More in particular, the holes 24 have an oval configuration with major axis oriented according to a line b (
According to the invention, during assembly of the door described above the aforesaid structure 20 is pre-arranged with the guide elements 3 connected thereto, with the regulating device 5, 7 provided thereon and connected to the slider members 4, and with the pane 21 connected to the slider members 4 by means of the intermediate elements 9 and with the respective screws 8 in a loosened condition so that the elastically deformable members 9 are set in the undeformed condition illustrated in
The pane 21 is initially mounted with the slider members in a partially or completely lowered position. Starting from said condition (which is illustrated in
Since the deformable elements 9 keep the pane 21 in the aforesaid wrong position, it is certain that, following upon activation of the regulating device 5, the edges 210, 212 of the pane 21 will come into contact with the contrast elements 15 (
In theory, it is not excluded that the operation of regulation is carried out directly on the motor-vehicle assembly line, with the door 2 installed. In this case, instead of the contrast elements 15, it is the edges 100, 102 themselves (
Of course, in the case where the operation is carried out off-line, in a workstation provided with the contrast elements 15, the latter can be obtained in other known ways. In particular, the contrast elements 15 can be elements that are in turn adjustable in position with respect to a supporting structure provided in the aforesaid workstation, the displacement of the contrast elements with respect to the corresponding support being, for example, controlled by respective actuators of any known type.
Furthermore, it is evident that the specific configuration of the elastically deformable member 9 that is illustrated in
In the case of the example illustrated the guide elements 3 are inclined upwards and backwards, so that when the pane is raised, it also moves back. For this reason, the deformable elements 9 are provided for pushing the pane towards an out-of-tolerance position, which is not only more raised, but also shifted further back with respect to the correct position. If, let's say, the guide elements 3, viewed laterally, were exactly vertical, the elements 9 would be arranged for pushing the pane vertically towards a position above the correct position.
In theory, the door and the method according to the invention could be limited to applying the principles of the invention that have been described above with reference to the regulation of the correct position of the pane in the vertical direction and in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the regulation of the portion of the pane in the direction orthogonal to the general plane of the pane can be obtained in a way corresponding to the known art, and the guide elements 3 can be secured to the structure of the door in a way in itself known.
Preferably, however, in order to simplify also the operation of regulation of the position of the pane in the direction orthogonal to the general plane of the pane, each of the guide elements 3 has a top end connected in articulated way about a longitudinal axis 30 (see
In order to adjust the position of the pane in the direction orthogonal to the general plane of the pane at the top edge of the pane, a workstation is preferably provided for regulation off the motor-vehicle assembly line (which can be the same workstation as the one where the regulation of the position of the pane in the vertical direction and in the longitudinal direction is carried out) provided with suitable actuator means 50 (represented in
Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated herein purely by way of example, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined in the annexed claims.
For example, with reference to the specific configuration of the elastically deformable element 9, which is illustrated in
The regulation method described above can be carried out in a dedicated assembly workstation alongside the vehicle assembly line. Said workstation will be provided with a tool that will enable referencing of the door module on its interfaces with the body and with the necessary contrast elements 15 and 52 fitted on mobile slides located thereon on the basis of the measurements carried out on the body of the motor vehicle, in an automatic way, using actuator means that receive signals at output from the opto-electronic detection systems, which are able to determine the geometrical compensations necessary for proper coupling of the door, complete with window raised, with its own seat on the body.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10189704.9 | Nov 2010 | EP | regional |