United States Patent
`Chikaraishi
`
`[ 19]
`
`[54] WINDOW REGULATOR FOR MOTOR
`VEHICLE
`Inventor: Takayo Chikaraishi, Tokyo, Japan
`[75]
`[73] Assignee: Nissan Motor Company Limited,
`Yokohama, Japan
`May 22, 1973
`Filed:
`[22]
`[21] Appl. No.: 362,844
`
`[30]
`
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`Japan
`May 23, 1972
`
`47 -60183
`
`[52] U.S. Cl.
`Int. Cl
`[51]
`[58] Field of Search
`
`49/351
`E05f 11/44
`49/351, 348, 349, 227,
`49/360, 350
`
`[56]
`
`2,122,605
`2,409,068
`2,850,333
`
`References Cited
`UNITED STATES PATENTS
`Chandler
`7/1938
`Roethel
`10/1946
`Hamman
`9/1958
`
`49/351 X
`49/351 X
`49/351 X
`
`ia
`
`3,888,047
`[11]
`[45] June 10,1975
`
`FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS
`49/351
`8/1940 Australia
`111,236
`
`Primary Examiner -J. Karl Bell
`
`ABSTRACT
`[57]
`A window regulator mechanism for raising and lower-
`ing a window pane of a motor vehicle having a door
`inner panel, which window regulator mechanism has
`an operating mechanism including first and second
`regulator arms pivotally connected to each other, the
`first regulator arm having one end connected to the
`window pane and the other end connected to actuat-
`ing means, the second regulator arm having one end
`connected to the window pane and the other end car-
`rying thereon a roller, and a guide rail for receiving
`the roller carried on the other end of the second regu-
`lator arm. The guide rail is integrally incorporated
`with the door inner panel and has formed at both ends
`thereof enlarged portions to receive the roller of the
`second regulator arm.
`5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures
`
`

`

`PATENTF_PJUli i 0 1975
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`SHEET
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`1
`
`Fig. 2
`PRIOR ART
`
`42
`
`46
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`UUSI, LLC
`Exhibit 2014
`2/5
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`

`

`PAfiEN,lTFCIJUN 10 1975
`
`SHEET
`
`2
`
`3, 888,047.
`
`52
`
`52a
`
`51
`
`50a
`
`4
`--°-]-
`
`12
`
`520
`
`Fig. 4
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`UUSI, LLC
`Exhibit 2014
`3/5
`
`

`

`5
`
`10
`
`20
`
`This invention relates in general to window regula-
`tors and, more particularly, to a window regulator
`mechanism for use in a motor vehicle.
`It is an object of the present invention to provide a
`window regulator mechanism which is relatively simple
`in construction, comprises relatively few parts and is
`therefore in inexpensive to manufacture, install and
`service.
`Other objects and advantages of the present inven-
`tion will be made more apparent as this description
`proceeds, particularly when considered in connection
`with the accompanying drawings, in which:
`FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art window regu- 15
`lator of a motor vehicle;
`FIG. 2 is a sectional enlarged view of a part of the
`window regulator shown in FIG. 1;
`FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of an improved
`guide means according to the present invention; and
`FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken through a line 4 -4
`of FIG. 3 and additionally shows a roller in engagement
`with the guide means shown in FIG. 3.
`Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a 25
`prior art window regulator mechanism for use in a
`motor vehicle. The motor vehicle is shown as including
`a vehicle door body 10 having a door inner panel 12.
`A window pane 14 is disposed within the vehicle door
`body 10 and is moved upwards or downwards by means 30
`of a window regulator mechanism 16 within the vehicle
`door body 10.
`The window regulator mechanism 16 includes a
`guide rail 18 to which the window pane 14 is secured.
`This guide rail 18 extends horizontally and is utilized in 35
`raising and lowering the window pane 14. This move-
`ment is effected by an operating mechanism 20.
`The operating mechanism 20, for raising and lower-
`ing the window pane 14, includes a gear segment 22
`which is driven by a pinion gear 24 operated by a crank 40
`handle or other suitable means not shown. As shown,
`the pinion gear 24 is rotatably mounted on a base plate
`member 26 which is attached to the door inner panel
`12. A pair of regulator arms 28 and 30 are provided.
`The regulator arm 28 is secured at its one end to the 45
`gear segment 22 and rotatable therewith about the cen-
`ter of curvature of the gear segment 22 by means of a
`pin 11. The regulator arm 28 is pivotally connected to
`the regulator arm 30 by a pin 32 at a point spaced from
`the gear segment 22. The opposite end of the regulator 50
`arm 28 carries a roller 34 which is rollably received in
`a slot 18a in the guide rail 18. A helical spring 36 is
`fixed to the base plate member 26 and biases the regu-
`lator arm 28 counterclockwise.
`One end (no numeral) of the regulator arm 30 carries 55
`thereon a roller 38 which is rollably received in the slot
`18a of the guide rail 18 attached on the window pane
`14. A roller 40 carried on the other end of the regulator
`arm 30 is rollably received in a slot 42a formed in a
`guide track 42, which is retained and positioned in the
`door body 10. Indicated as 44 are elongated slots into
`which mountings 46 are received which fixedly connect
`the guide track 42 to the door body 10. The elongated
`slots 44, which are formed in the door inner panel 12, 65
`permit adjustable positioning of the track 42 in the
`door body 10 to any position within the upper and
`lower limits of the elongated slots 44.
`
`60
`
`1
`WINDOW REGULATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLE
`
`3,888,047
`
`2
`It will be noted that a window glass pane must be
`carefully manipulated by a suitable guiding and regulat-
`ing mechanism to pass readily through an opening in a
`vehicle door body of minimum width. Thus, the win-
`dow regulator mechanism must be precisely disposed
`and mounted within the vehicle door body, requiring
`highly skilled experience during assembly of the win-
`dow regulator.
`The present invention contemplates to integrally in-
`corporate the guide track 42 with the door inner panel
`12 to simplify assembly of the window regulator mech-
`anism and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the
`same.
`As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the present invention pro-
`poses to provide a guide rail 50 formed integrally with
`the door inner panel 12. The guide rail 50 is shown as
`having at both ends thereof enlarged portions 52 to re-
`ceive an enlarged portion 54a of a roller 54 (see FIG.
`4) but way have only one enlarged portion at one end
`of the guide rail. The guide rail 50 includes a pair of op-
`posing stepped portions 51 which merge with enlarged
`portions 52. The stepped portions 51 preferably have
`L- shaped sections respectively as best seen in FIG. 4.
`The length 1 of the stepped portion 51 is determined to
`allow the roller 54 to move from one extreme position
`to another extreme position thereof during raising and
`lowering of the window pane 14. The enlarged portions
`52 have openings 52a which merge with a guide slot
`50a defined within the guide rail 50. The enlarged por-
`tions 52 are sized to allow ready insertion of the en-
`larged portion 54a of the roller 54. More specifically,
`the greatest dimension D of the enlarged portions 52 of
`the guide rail 50 is selected to be greater than the great-
`est dimension d of enlarged portion Ma of the roller 54.
`It should be noted that the guide rail 50, enlarged
`portions 52, openings 52a and guide slot 50a are inte-
`grally formed with the door inner panel 12 by a stamp-
`ing process during manufacture of the door inner panel
`12.
`As best seen in FIG. 4, the roller 54 is rotatably
`mounted on the regulator arm 30 by means of a pin 56
`fixed thereto. Indicated as 58 is a corrugated spring
`washer which is disposed in a space between the regula-
`tor arm 30 and the guide rail 50 for maintaining the rol-
`ler 54 in positions in which the enlarged portion 54a of
`the roller 54 rollably engages within the stepped por-
`tions 51 having L- shaped sections in the guide rail 40.
`With the arrangement described hereinabove, assem-
`bly of the window regulator mechanism is simplified in
`that the roller 54 can be positioned in an operating con-
`dition merely by initially inserting the enlarged portion
`54a of the roller 54 into either of the openings 52a in
`the guide rail 50, and thereafter moving the roller 54
`in a right or left hand direction into the guide slot 50a
`so that the enlarged portion 54a of the roller 54 en-
`gages in the guide rail 50. Since, moreover, the guide
`rail is incorporated in the door inner panel, the manu-
`facturing process is simplified because there is no need
`for assembling an independent guide rail onto the door
`inner panel. Another advantage of the present inven-
`tion resides in the fact that since the guide rail is inte-
`grally formed with the door inner panel, a minimum
`number of independent component parts are required
`thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the window
`regulator mechanism.
`It will be apparent from FIG. 4 that the enlarged por-
`tion 54a of the roller 54 has an annular cylindrical sur-
`
`UUSI, LLC
`Exhibit 2014
`4/5
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`

`

`3,888,047
`
`3
`face thereon while the stepped portions 51 of the guide
`rail 50 have opposite parallelly extending plane sur-
`faces thereof for rollably securely receiving therebe-
`tween the annular cylindrical surface of the enlarged
`portion 54a of the roller 54. With this arrangement,
`wear between the roller 54 and the guide rail 50 is re-
`duced to a minimum since weight applied to the roller
`54 is distributed over the plane surfaces of the guide
`rail 50 through the annular cylindrical surface of the
`roller 54.
`The inclination of the window glass pane 14 has here-
`tofore been adjusted by rotating the window pane 14 as
`shown by an arrow in FIG. 1 during assembly of the
`window regulator mechanism. This has been accom-
`plished by adjusting the position of the guide track 42
`through the use of the elongated slots 44 formed in the
`door inner panel 12. In the window regulator mecha-
`nism of the present invention, inclination of the win -
`dow pane 14 can be accomplished by adjusting the po-
`sition of the base plate member 26 or the guide rail 18.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A window regulator mechanism for raising and
`lowering a window pane in a motor vehicle door body
`having an inner panel, comprising a first arm secured
`at its one end to a gear segment meshing with a pinion
`gear mounted on said door inner panel and connected
`at its other end to said window pane, a second regulator
`arm pivotally connected to said first regulator arm by
`a pin at a point spaced apart from said gear segment
`
`4
`and connected at its one end to said window pane, said
`second regulator arm being provided with a roller hav-
`ing an annular enlarged portion thereof at the other
`end of said regulator arm, said enlarged portion having
`5 an annular cylindrical surface thereon, and a guide rail
`being formed integrally with said door inner panel and
`including a pair of opposing stepped portions, said
`stepped portions having opposite parallelly extending
`plane surfaces thereof for rollably securely receiving
`10 therebetween the annular cylindrical surface of the en-
`larged portion of said roller to guide the other end of
`said second regulator arm.
`2. A window regulator mechanism as claimed in
`claim 1, wherein said guide rail has formed at one end
`an enlarged portion.
`3. A window regulator mechanism as claimed in
`claim 1, wherein said guide rail has formed at both ends
`enlarged portions.
`4. A window regulator mechanism as claimed in
`claim 1, wherein the length of said stepped portions is
`determined to allow said roller to move from one ex-
`treme position to another extreme position thereof dur-
`ing raising and lowering of the window pane.
`5. A window regulator mechanism as claimed in
`claim 2, wherein said enlarged portion is sized to allow
`ready insertion of an enlarged portion of a roller
`mounted at the other end of said second regulator arm.
`*
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`*
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`15
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`20
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`25
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`30
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`35
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`40
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`45
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`50
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`55
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`60
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`65
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`UUSI, LLC
`Exhibit 2014
`5/5
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`