Patent Application
20080098657
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to methods, assemblies, and apparatus relating to installation of automobile door window glass in rail-less window regulator door modules, and in particular, to installation of window glass at a mid-travel position.
2. Description of Related Art
Automobiles typically include at least two doors having door windows that open in that the window glass ascends and descends. Door windows, in which the ascent and descent of the window glass is electronically activated, are commonly known as power windows. Windows that are not power windows typically are wound and unwound manually by the vehicle occupant to cause the window glass to ascend and descend. The ascent and descent of the window glass often is realized by a winch mechanism attached to window glass. This winch mechanism may be referred to a rail-less window regulator door module. Many door windows are capable of opening completely such that the window glass descends entirely into the car door, known as “full drop,” leaving only the top edge of the window glass visible in the window slot into which the window glass is retracted.
Installation of automobile door window glass is known as “glass load,” insofar as the glass is loaded into the door module through the window slot and must engage the lift plate of the regulator door module. Glass load of full drop glass can be challenging because the lift plate historically is in the fully lowered position to provide adequate resistance against which to push the glass into the module until the glass is inserted fully. Currently, the line operator must drop the glass into the door with enough force to seat the glass into the lift plate, plus ensure a correct seating has taken place. This is often a blind operation in that the line operator cannot see or access the engagement of the window glass into the lift plate. Further, with the lift plate fully lowered, there is no surface area of the glass to hold during the loading of the glass to lift plate, making proper insertion problematic. If the glass is not seated properly, the operator must try to remove the glass from the door with his/her fingertips to begin the install procedure again.
The challenge is to position the lift plate such that there will be glass in the operator's hand during the installation of glass into lift plate. Thus, it is necessary to develop new products and methods that overcome the above-mentioned challenges of the prior art and allow insertion of the glass into the lift plate when the lift plate is at a mid-point.
In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, methods, assemblies and apparatus related to a mid-travel glass load of full drop glass involve use of a support pin traversing a carrier plate to immobilize a lift plate at a mid-travel position.
According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a method of loading automobile window glass may include aligning a lift plate at a mid-travel position; supporting a pin extension by a carrier plate; immobilizing the lift plate at the mid-travel position by engaging the pin extension with the lift plate; loading the window glass into the lift plate; and mobilizing the lift plate by disengaging the pin extension from the lift plate.
In various embodiments of the present invention, engaging the pin extension may comprise inserting the pin extension into a pin holding well of the lift plate; and disengaging the pin extension may comprise removing the pin extension from the pin holding well.
Also in various embodiments of the present invention, the pin extension may comprise a support pin; inserting the pin extension may comprise inserting the support pin through pin holes in a carrier plate; and removing the pin extension may comprise removing the support pin from the pin holes.
According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for supporting a lift plate at a mid-travel position for loading of automobile window glass within a door may include a carrier plate having at least one pin guide hole operable to allow a pin extension to traverse the carrier plate to engage the lift plate for immobilization of the lift plate at the mid-travel position. Furthermore, the carrier plate may include at least one support feature operable to support a support pin having at least one pin extension.
According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for lifting automobile window glass within a door may include a lift plate having at least one pin holding well operable to engage a pin extension for immobilization of the lift plate at a mid-travel position.
According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, an assembly for supporting a lift plate at a mid-travel position for loading of automobile window glass within a door may include a pin extension operable to withstand a force of the loading of the glass within the door; a lift plate having at least one pin holding well operable to engage the pin extension; and a carrier plate operable to engage and disengage the pin extension to allow the pin extension to engage and disengage, respectively, the lift plate at the mid-travel position for immobilization and mobilization, respectively, of the lift plate at the mid-travel position.
The advantages of this invention are best understood after reading the detailed technical description, and in relation to existing glass load of full drop automobile window glass. Nonetheless, some of the advantages are highlighted below.
Among other advantages, the present invention facilitates a mid-travel glass load allowing an operator to seat the glass into a lift plate with a portion of glass above the beltline of door. This provides the operator the ability to maneuver the glass into the lift plate without the use of specialized tools. If the operator is unable to initially seat the glass, the operator is able to maintain a hold on the glass for subsequent load attempts.
Others have sought to improve the interaction of the glass with a lift plate. For instance, in another patent application to Faurecia Innenraum Systeme GmbH, published as DE 10 2004 017 645 A1, lower-end blocks are disclosed that engage a lift plate at a bottom-travel position of the lift plate relative to, and within, the door panel. The lower end blocks provide a stable support to the lift plate, although a significant portion of the window glass remains inaccessible within the door panel as the window glass is lowered into engagement with the lift plate. After the window engages the lift plate at the bottom-travel position, the lift plate and window glass are permitted to travel the entire distance within the door panel. This loading solution, however, loads the glass at the bottom-travel position and leaves the blocks inside the door panel, as the blocks are an integral part of the door panel.
Other aspects, features, advantages, etc. will become apparent to one skilled in the art when the description of the invention herein is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
For the purposes of illustrating the various aspects of the invention, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there are shown in the drawings simplified forms that may be employed, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited by or to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, but rather only by the issued claims. The drawings may not be to scale, and the aspects of the drawings may not be to scale relative to each other.
The present invention relates to methods, assemblies and apparatus related to a mid-travel glass load of full drop glass.
Referring to
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Referring to
Although depicted as having two holes 128 and two wells 134, the assembly 100 may include as few as one hole 128 and one well 134. Alternatively, the assembly 100 may include more than two holes 128 and more than two wells 134. The assembly 100 likewise may include more than one support pin 110. Moreover, each support pin 110 may have one pin extension 114, two pin extensions 114, as depicted, or more than two pin extensions 114. The support pin 110, with pin extensions 114, the carrier plate holes 128 and the lift plate wells 134 need only align at one mid-travel position, but for purposes of adaptability, various configurations of extensions 114, holes 128, and wells 134 may be present in a single assembly 100 to allow for use in different vehicles, use at different mid-travel positions, different size window glass, etc.
Engagement of the pin extensions 114 with the lift plate 130 immobilizes the lift plate 130, i.e., makes the lift plate 130 motionless and prevents the lift plate 130 from moving. To allow the lift plate 130 to travel again after the glass 140 has been inserted, the pin extensions 114 need to be disengaged from the wells 134. Disengagement of the pin extensions 114 from the lift plate 130 mobilizes the lift plate 130, i.e., makes the lift plate 130 ready for movement or action. However, according to other embodiments of the present invention, the pin extensions 114 may be retracted by telescoping, rather than needing to fully remove the support pin 110. Such an arrangement may involve integrating the support pin 110 into the carrier plate 120 so that the pin 110 is not removed, but remains with the carrier plate 120 for possible future re-use.
In still other embodiments, the pin extension 114 may comprise a hinge and spring, so that when the pin extension 114 is released to engage the lift plate 130, the lift plate 130 may displace the pin extension 114 in an upward direction, allowing the pin extension 114 to engage the well 134, so that the lift plate 130 may not travel in the downward direction. Once the glass 140 is loaded in the lift plate 130, the lift plate 130 may move upward, disengaging the pin extension 114, and the pin extension 114 may be retracted to avoid unintended interference with the lift plate 130.
Referring to
As discussed above, a removable support pin engages a lift plate of a door module at a mid-travel position. The removable support pin traverses the door panel side through pin guide holes and lodges in pin holding wells located inside the door panel. When the lift plate is placed in the mid-travel position, the support pin is inserted through the pin guide holes, engages the lift plate and lodges in the pin holding wells. The support pin provides a stable support to the lift plate while a significant portion of the window glass remains accessible above the door panel as the window glass is lowered into engagement with the lift plate. After the window engages the lift plate at the mid-travel position, the support pin is removed from the door panel and disengages the lift plate, permitting the lift plate and window glass to travel the entire distance within the door panel. The embodiments of the present invention not only allow removal and reuse of the support pin, but support a mid-travel position without making the interior of the door panel more complex or heavier.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
