Patent Grant
8166705
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support structure for a vehicular resin window, which supports a resin window of a vehicle so that the resin window can be raised and lowered.
2. Description of the Related Art
A support structure that supports a vehicle window made of glass, or the like, so that the vehicle window can be raised and lowered is known in the related art.
For example, a rack member made of resin or the like and including a meshing gear which meshes with a drive gear that can be rotated by rotating means is attached to a side end portion of a window. When the rotating means rotates the drive gear, the window can be raised and lowered along a guide frame via the rack member.
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open No. 60-150291, for example, which is cited here as Patent Document 1, discloses a window support structure in which a resin rack member is attached to one or both of the side end portions of a window.
However, this conventional structure has the following problems.
When the rack members are provided in both side end portions of the window, deviation in the mesh phases of the two meshing gears from each other may be caused, leading to problems in the raising/lowering of the window. Furthermore, an increase of the number of constructional components is caused, leading to problems in terms of cost, weight, space, and so on.
On the other hand, when the rack member is provided only on one side end portion of the window and the window is made of a material of low rigidity, the other side portion in which the rack member is not provided may easily become dislodged from the guide frame. Furthermore, when the window tilts due to its own weight, raising/lowering resistance, external loads, and so on, a load may be concentrated on the guide frame on the side of the window where the rack member is provided, also leading to problems in the raising/lowering of the window.
The present invention has been designed in consideration of the above problems in the related art, and it is an object thereof to provide a support structure for a vehicular resin window in which a resin window can be supported sufficiently and securely using a simple structure and the resin window can be raised and lowered smoothly and precisely.
The present invention is a support structure for a vehicular resin window, the structure being configured to support a resin window of a vehicle so that the resin window can be raised and lowered, wherein the resin window includes: a plate-shaped main body portion and a gear projection portion that is molded integrally with the main body portion so as to project in a thickness direction of the main body portion from one side end portion of the main body portion. At least a part of the side face of the gear projection portion is surrounded by a gear-side guide frame for guiding the raising/lowering of the resin window. Further, the gear projection portion includes a meshing gear provided along a vertical direction to mesh with a drive gear that can be rotated by rotating means, and positioning members provided respectively on at least upper and lower end portions of the gear projection portion to abut on an inside surface of the gear-side guide frame. When the drive gear is rotated by the rotating means in the support structure for a vehicular resin window, the positioning members slide relative to the inside surface of the gear-side guide frame such that the resin window is raised or lowered along the gear-side guide frame.
Embodiments of a support structure for a vehicular resin window according to the present invention will now be described below.
First Embodiment
As shown in
Here, terms expressing directions and positions such as “front-rear”, “upper-lower”, “inner-outer”, and so on, denote directions and positions in a state where the resin window 2 is attached to the door 8.
As shown in
A side face of the gear projection portion 23 is partially surrounded by a gear-side guide frame 4 for guiding the raising/lowering of the resin window 2.
As shown in
When the motor 83 rotates the drive gear 84, the positioning members 25 are made to slide relative to the inside surface of the gear-side guide frame 4, and thus the resin window 2 can be raised and lowered along the gear-side guide frame 4.
The above construction will now be described in detail.
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
Further, as shown in
Further, the positioning members 25 that abut on the inside surface (an inner side surface 411 of a frame portion 41, to be described below) of the gear-side guide frame 4 are provided in the upper end portion and lower end portion of the gear projection portion 23. The positioning members 25 have a large horizontal dimension so as to project further outward than the other parts of the gear projection portion 23 where the positioning members 25 are not provided. Furthermore, the positioning members 25 are molded integrally with the gear projection portion 23. Here, in this embodiment, shoe members are employed as the positioning members 25.
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
Next, actions and effects of the support structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described.
In this embodiment, as shown in
Hence, even when the resin window 2 is made of a resin having lower rigidity than glass or the like, the required rigidity can be sufficiently secured. Therefore, bending of the resin window 2 or the like during raising and lowering can be suppressed, and the resin window 2 can be prevented from becoming dislodged from the other-side guide frame 3 and the gear-side guide frame 4 and so on. Moreover, the resin window 2 can be raised and lowered smoothly.
Further, as shown in
Therefore, problems arising when separate members are provided with a window, for example joining defects, abrasion noise generated in a joint portion, effects caused by a difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of different materials, and so on, can be eliminated. Moreover, the number of components can be reduced, thereby enabling structural simplification and reductions in cost and weight. Furthermore, the resin window 2 is less likely to break than a window made of glass or the like, and further the weight thereof can be reduced.
Moreover, as shown in
Hence, the position and attitude of the resin window 2 while being raised or lowered can be maintained by the positioning members 25 that slide while abutting on the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41 of the gear-side guide frame 4. As a result, tilting of the resin window 2 due to its own weight, raising/lowering resistance, an external load, and so on can be suppressed, thereby preventing accompanying raising/lowering problems. Accordingly, the resin window 2 can be raised and lowered smoothly and precisely.
Further, as shown in
Hence, the position and attitude of the resin window 2 during raising and lowering can be sufficiently maintained even by the gear provided on only one side of the resin window 2, and therefore the effects described above can be obtained reliably. Furthermore, since the meshing gear 24 is provided on one side end portion (the rear end portion) of the resin window 2, structural simplicity can be achieved in comparison with a case in which meshing gears are provided on both sides, and in addition, deviation of mesh phases and accompanying problems such as raising/lowering defects do not occur.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in
Further, the positioning members 25 are formed integrally with the gear projection portion 23, enabling a reduction in the number of components and a reduction in cost.
Further, as shown in
Further, as shown in
Here, expansion and contraction due to heat is greater in the length direction of the resin window 2 than the thickness direction. Therefore, the gap 39 is preferably set taking into account expansion and contraction in the length direction of the resin window 2 in particular.
In this embodiment, the resin window 2 is disposed along the vehicle front-rear direction, and the gear projection portion 23 is formed to project toward the vehicle-interior-side. Therefore, the gap 39 is preferably formed on at least the vehicle-front-side and the vehicle-rear-side of the other projection portion 22. The gap 39 may of course be formed in other positions.
Hence, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the support structure 1 for a vehicular resin window with which the resin window 2 can be supported sufficiently and securely using a simple structure and the resin window 2 can be raised and lowered smoothly and precisely.
Note that in this embodiment, a shoe member is used as the positioning member 25, but a member such as a roller member having a roller rotating portion that slides relative to the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41 of the gear-side guide frame 4 while rotating may be used instead.
For example, when a roller member is used as the positioning member 25, the roller member preferably includes a roller rotating portion that projects further toward the gear-side guide frame 4 than the parts of the gear projection portion 23 where the positioning member 25 is not provided.
In this case, by employing a roller member as the positioning member 25, sliding properties relative to the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41 of the gear-side guide frame 4 can be improved. Further, by making the sliding roller rotating portion project further toward the gear-side guide frame 4 than the other parts, interference between the meshing gear 24 provided on the gear projection portion 23 and the gear-side guide frame 4 can be prevented. As a result, the resin window 2 can be raised and lowered smoothly and precisely.
Further, as shown in
Further, a typical shoe member or roller member may be employed as the support member 85. In this case, the support member 85 preferably exhibits a favorable sliding property relative to the gear projection portion 23. Further, the support member 85 may be provided singly or plurally.
Further, as shown in
For example, a polycarbonate resin, which is a transparent resin having no additives, may be used in parts requiring transparency such as the main body portion 21, and a polycarbonate resin having an added reinforcing material such as glass fiber (GF) or carbon fiber (CF), or a polycarbonate resin having an added material that exhibits great chemical resistance, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin, may be used in shaded parts such as the gear projection portion 23, which require strength but not transparency. The resin window 2 may then be formed by subjecting these materials to two-color molding.
In so doing, the gear projection portion 23, which requires strength, can be strengthened efficiently. Further, a reduction in the size of the gear projection portion 23 can be achieved while maintaining the strength of the gear projection portion 23. Moreover, by reducing the size of the gear projection portion 23, a reduction in the size of the gear-side guide frame 4 surrounding the gear projection portion 23 can be achieved.
Second Embodiment
In this embodiment, the constitution of the gear projection portion 23 of the resin window 2 is modified.
In this embodiment, as shown in
All other constructions are identical to their counterparts in the first embodiment.
By providing the wall portion 26 according to this embodiment, the strength of the meshing gear 24B part of the gear projection portion 23B in particular can be increased. Further, a reduction in the size of the meshing gear 24B can be achieved while maintaining the strength of the meshing gear 24B part. Moreover, by reducing the size of the meshing gear 24B, a reduction in the size of a gear-side guide frame 4B surrounding the gear projection portion 23B can be achieved.
Furthermore, by providing the wall portion 26, the meshing gear 24B is not exposed on the vehicle-exterior-side outer side surface 241 of the meshing gear 24B. When the lip member 42 is provided between the resin window 2 and the frame portion of the gear-side guide frame to seal the two components and prevent water infiltration and the like, the part in which the meshing gear is exposed cannot normally be used as a sealing surface. However, by covering the vehicle-exterior-side outer side surface 241, which is one of the side faces of the meshing gear 24B, with the wall portion 26, the wall portion 26 can be used as a sealing surface of the lip member 42. Therefore, as shown in
Additionally, similar actions and effects to those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Third Embodiment
In this embodiment, the constitution of the gear projection portion 23 of the resin window 2 is modified.
In this embodiment, as shown in
Further, as shown in
All other constructions are identical to their counterparts in the first embodiment.
According to this embodiment, although not shown in the drawings, the drive gear 84 that meshes with the meshing gear 24C, the motor 83 that rotates the drive gear 84, and so on may be disposed on the projecting side of the gear projection portion 23C, or in other words the vehicle-interior-side, which is one of the sides of the resin window 2 in the thickness direction, for example. Hence, in comparison with the constitution of the first embodiment, shown in
Further, the positioning member 25 may be caused to slide relative to the inside surface of the gear-side guide frame 4C, or in other words the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41C or the glass run 43 disposed on the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41C. Thus, the effects of supporting the resin window 2 sufficiently and securely using a simple structure and raising/lowering the resin window 2 smoothly and precisely are sufficiently obtained. Furthermore, by providing the glass run 43, the resin window 2 can be sealed from the gear-side guide frame 4C.
Note that the glass run 43 may be provided on the inside surface of the other-side guide frame 3. In so doing, the resin window 2 can be sealed from the other-side guide frame 3.
Additionally, similar actions and effects to those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Note that in this application, the inside surface of the gear-side guide frame is a concept encompassing not only the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41, 41B, 41C of the gear-side guide frame 4, 4B, 4C according to the first to third embodiments, but also a surface of the glass run 43 provided on the inner side surface 411 of the frame portion 41C of the gear-side guide frame 4C and so on.
In the first to third embodiments, the resin window 2 is disposed along the vehicle front-rear direction, the gear projection portion 23, 23B, 23C is formed to project toward the vehicle-interior-side, and the gear-side guide frame 4, 4B, 4C is provided to surround the vehicle-front-side, vehicle-rear-side, and vehicle-exterior-side of the gear projection portion 23, 23B, 23C. However, the gear-side guide frame 4, 4B, 4C may of course be constituted differently.
Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the outer peripheral surface of the shoe member employed as the positioning member 25 may be curved (rounded). In this case, the part of the shoe member that abuts on the inside surface of the gear-side guide frame 4, 4B, 4C can be secured by making the outer peripheral surface of the shoe member curved, and therefore the sliding property of the shoe member can be maintained even when the contact between the shoe member and the gear-side guide frame 4, 4B, 4C is insufficient and vibrations or the like are generated in the resin window 2. As a result, the resin window 2 can be raised and lowered smoothly.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-275674 | Oct 2008 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3324594 | Hettinger et al. | Jun 1967 | A |
| 4788795 | Pinsonneault | Dec 1988 | A |
| 4920697 | Vail et al. | May 1990 | A |
| 5035083 | Kruzich | Jul 1991 | A |
| 6631586 | Nakagomi et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
| 6708448 | Zappa | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 19703720 | Jul 1998 | DE |
| 60-150291 | Oct 1985 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100107504 A1 | May 2010 | US |
