Vehicle door window unit for raising and lowering a window having a cable tensioner for maintaining tension in support cables

• US 7,263,804 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Ansei
• Original Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Ansei
• Inventors: Ishii, Koji, Nishio, Takashi, Ando, Yoshihiro, Nishikawa, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu; Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US10/986,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 493/52, 493/49, 493/48, 493/74, 495/02
• US Class Current: 49/352
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 11/382 for vehicle windows E05F11/40 - E05F11/52 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 11/385 Fixing of window glass to the carrier of the operating mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 11/485 with cable tensioners
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 11/488 with two cable connections to the window glass
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2011/387 using arrangements in the window glass, e.g. holes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/47 Springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/642 Trackless carriers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/654 Cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/66 Deflectors; Guides
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/664 Drums
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/668 Pulleys; Wheels
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/706 Shafts
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/13 by motors, magnets, springs or weights
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/322 around a horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/626 Plates or brackets
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

A vehicle door, wherein a drive unit for raising and lowering a glass plate is constructed so that a plurality of pulleys across which wires are laid are provided at upper and lower sides of a base panel. The glass plate is moved up and down by driving the wires, and the glass plate is prevented from moving in a vehicle inward direction when the door is closed. Wire fixing portions are prevented from being damaged by large upward and downward stroke movements of the glass plate Furthermore, the wires are prevented from slackening when the wires are driven and stopped by providing a supporting rod along a path of upward and downward movement of the glass plate, and a contact member which has no contact with the supporting rod. Trumpet-shaped guide portions are provided at hole edges of the wire fixing portions, and the V-shaped circumferential surfaces of a tensioner eliminates slack in the wires.

Claims

1. A vehicle door, comprising:

a window opening at an upper side of said vehicle door,

a glass plate which is movable between an open position and a closed position, said glass plate closes said window opening when the glass plate is in said closed position and is housed inside a glass plate housing space within a lower side of said vehicle door when the glass plate is in said open position,

guide rails are arranged at front and rear sides of the glass plate and guide the glass plate, and a drive unit is disposed inside the lower side of said vehicle door to drive said glass plate up and down,

a base panel having a plurality of pulleys at upper and lower positions of said base panel for guiding wires for driving the glass plate up and down,

said drive unit comprising a drum provided on the base panel for driving said wires,

a carrier plate for moving up and down between the upper and lower pulleys while supporting a lower side of said glass plate,

the wires engaging the plurality of pulleys, at least two of said wires partially wound around the drum and fixed to said carrier plate,

a tensioner is disposed between at least one of the pulleys and the drum for tensioning one of the at least two of the wires to prevent said one of the at least two of the wires from slackening when said one of the at least two of the wires is being moved by rotating said drum to drive the carrier plate up and down, wherein said tensioner comprises a first slide member and a second slide member, wherein said first slide member and said second slide member are connected to each other and spaced apart by a gap which forms a passage for said one of the at least two of said wires;

the first slide member being pivotally attached to the base panel so that the second slide member can pivot relative to said base panel,

said first slide member including a circumferential surface and said second slide member including a circumferential surface generally parallel to said circumferential surface of said first slide member, said circumferential surfaces defining said passage, each of the circumferential surfaces of said first and second slide members including a substantially V-shaped groove having a groove bottom, said groove bottoms of the first and second slide members engage said one of the at least two of said wires passing along the passage between said first slide member and second slide member, said drum including an axis and said one of the at least two of said wires moves a distance along said axis between a first end position corresponding to said open position of said glass plate and a second end position corresponding to said closed position of said glass plate as said one of the at least two of said wires is wound on and unwound from said drum,

wherein the the substantially V-shaped grooves of the tensioner are shifted from a center of said distance toward a side of the tensioner to which the greatest tension is applied by said one of the at least two of said wires to reduce the wear on said one of the at least two of said wires.

2. The vehicle door of claim 1, wherein the second slide member pivots in a direction to tension said one of the at least two of said wires to prevent said one of the at least two of said wires from coming off said at least one of the plurality of pulleys.