EP0113603B1 - Electrically powered vehicle window opening device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric window regulator device for a motor vehicle, of the type comprising two X-shaped arms arranged inside the door of the vehicle and supporting the corresponding window.

In this type of window regulator, one of the arms is driving and the other driven, the driving arm being articulated at one of its ends on a support capable of being driven in rotation by a geared motor controlled by a member. manual, its other end being slidably mounted in a slide secured to the glass. The second arm is articulated on the previous one and mounted sliding on the one hand in a slide of the door and on the other hand in a second slide secured to the glass (FR-A-2 431 595).

The switch constituting the manual control member is usually placed on the dashboard, and its stroke is of the order of a millimeter so that it acts "all or nothing".

As a result, the position of the window cannot be finely adjusted, the time elapsing between complete opening and complete closing of the window being of the order of a few seconds.

The invention aims to allow a much more precise adjustment of the position of the window by the driver of the vehicle.

According to the invention, the control member is mounted on the driving arm so as to be kinematically linked thereto, and this control member projects outside of a notch formed in the internal lining panel of the door which extends over the entire length of the stroke of the control member and its support arm, between the extreme positions of the window, the control member being able to slide in this notch during the movement of the arms.

Under these conditions, the driver has the option of controlling the position of the window over a stroke, no longer of the order of a millimeter, but of the order of a decimeter, which allows him to "follow" more easily position the glass.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the control member is a switch provided with two series of electrical contacts corresponding to two speeds of movement of the arms, a fast speed and a slow speed in each direction of travel.

Thus, by pushing the switch on one side or the other depending on whether the driver wants to raise or lower the window, the first contact establishes a rapid speed of descent or ascent, and the second a slow speed of fine adjustment , the connection of the switch with the high speed contact being obtained by a stronger push on the switch.

According to another embodiment, the control member controls an analog element such as a potentiometer.

In general, the control member is installed so that its reference follows the output member, and this mechanically without the intervention of a position feedback device, such as potentiometer, encoder, etc.

This feature, combined with the previous one, therefore allows very precise adjustment of the position of the window.

• La Figure 1 est une vue schématique en élévation avec arrachements d'un dispositif lève-vitre électrique selon l'invention.
• La Figure 2 est une vue en élévation partielle à échelle agrandie par rapport à la Figure 1 de l'organe de commande du lève-vitre.
• La Figure 3 est une vue mi-coupe mi-élévation suivant la ligne III-III de la Figure 2.
• La Figure 4 es une vue en coupe transversale de l'interrupteur suivant la ligne IV-IV de la Figure 2.
• La Figure 5 est un schéma électrique de la boucle d'asservissement dans laquelle peuvent être insérés l'interrupteur et le motoréducteur du lève-vitre des Figures 1 à 4.
• La Figure 6 est un schéma électrique partiel illustrant la possibilité de commander le motoréducteur du dispositif des Figures 1 à 5 dans les deux sens de marche correspondant à la montée et à la descente de la vitre.
• Les Figures 7 et 8 sont respectivement des vues analogues aux Figures 3 et 2 d'une seconde forme de réalisation de l'invention.
• La Figure 9 est une vue mi-coupe mi-élévation analogue à la Figure 7 d'un organe de commande selon une troisième forme de réalisation.
• La Figure 10 est un schéma électrique simplifié correspondant à la forme de réalisation de la Figure 9.
• La Figure 11 est une vue en élévation simplifiée analogue à la Figure 1, d'une quatrième forme de réalisation du lève-vitre selon l'invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings in which there are shown, by way of non-limiting examples, several embodiments of the window-lifting device according to the invention.

• Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view with cutaway of an electric window lifter device according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a partial elevational view on an enlarged scale with respect to Figure 1 of the window regulator control member.
• Figure 3 is a mid-sectional mid-elevation view along line III-III of Figure 2.
• Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the switch along line IV-IV of Figure 2.
• Figure 5 is an electrical diagram of the servo loop in which the switch and the gearmotor of the window regulator of Figures 1 to 4 can be inserted.
• Figure 6 is a partial electrical diagram illustrating the possibility of controlling the gearmotor of the device of Figures 1 to 5 in both directions of travel corresponding to the raising and lowering of the window.
• Figures 7 and 8 are respectively views similar to Figures 3 and 2 of a second embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 9 is a mid-sectional mid-elevation view similar to Figure 7 of a control member according to a third embodiment.
• Figure 10 is a simplified electrical diagram corresponding to the embodiment of Figure 9.
• Figure 11 is a simplified elevational view similar to Figure 1, of a fourth embodiment of the window regulator according to the invention.

There is shown in Figures 1 to 6 a first embodiment of an electric window regulator device for a motor vehicle according to the invention.

This device comprises (Figure 1) two arms in X 1.2, arranged inside the door 3 of the vehicle and supporting the corresponding window 4. In a manner known per se, the driving arm 1 is fixed to one of its ends on a support 5 consisting of a toothed sector capable of being rotated by a geared motor 6. The latter is controlled by a manual member consisting of a control button 7 to which it is connected by electrical connections shown in the Figure 6.

The other end of the arm 1, as well as those of the second arm 2 are mounted to slide in slides 8, 9, linked to the glass, and 11 of the door 3. The positions are shown in Figure 1 in solid lines arms 1 and 2 when the window 4 is raised, and in broken lines the respective positions 1 a and 2a of the arms 1 and 2 when the window 4 is in the low position, after corresponding pivoting of the arms 1, 2 over approximately 90 °, as indicated by the arrows F1 and F2.

According to the invention, the control button 7 is mounted on the driving arm 1, so as to be kinematically linked thereto. The button 7 projects outside of a curved notch 12 formed in the internal panel 13 for lining the door 3. The notch 12 therefore extends over a circular sector corresponding to the entire length of the angular travel of the arm 1 and of the button 7 carried by the latter, between the extreme positions of the window 4, so that the control button 7 can effectively slide in the notch 12 during the movement of the arms 1, 2.

The button 7 is part (Figures 2 and 3) of a switch designated by the general reference 14 and provided with electrical contacts C ₁ , C ₂ . The switch 14 also includes two studs 15, 16 arranged on each side of the button 7, two return springs 17, 18 being interposed between the latter and two stirrups 10 for holding and axially guiding the button 7 on a base 19 secured to arm 1.

Under these conditions, when a push is made on the button 7 in the direction of the contact Ci or C ₂ , the corresponding pad 15 or 16 establishes the electrical contact, and the geared motor 6 starts up by rotating the sector 5 in the direction of raising or lowering of window 4 depending on whether contact has been established with Ci or C ₂ (or vice versa).

It is understood that the assembly constitutes a servo loop schematically represented in FIG. 5. It comprises the button 7 and the geared motor 6. The return loop is unitary since the button 7 undergoes the overall movement of the arm 1 and the function of comparator 21 is located in switch 14.

In this control loop, the setpoint signal is the position of the control member 7 operated by the driver, and the output signal is the position of the arm 1. The comparator 21 constantly performs comparisons between the values of these two signals to determine an error signal resulting from the difference of the two values in question, in order to control the angular position of the arm 1 to the effective position of the control button 7. According to the sign of the error signal, the comparator 21 gives the order to the geared motor 6 to continue the movement of the window 3, or on the contrary to make it return slightly backwards, until the error signal becomes equal to zero. At this time, the actual position of the arm 1 and therefore of the window 4 corresponds to the effective position of the button 7 giving the order to the geared motor 6. This constitutes in an economical manner a return loop without any other intermediary.

The electrical connections between the contacts C ₁ , C ₂ , the geared motor 6 and the battery 22 supplying the vehicle have been schematically illustrated in FIG. 6.

The length of the notch 12 formed in the door 3 is substantially greater than 1 decimeter, preferably, so that the effective travel of the control button 7 is of the order of the decimeter, between the two extreme positions of the window 1 This results in a better possibility for the user to control with precision the adjustment of the position of the window 4, than with a button placed on the dashboard and having a millimeter stroke operating all or nothing. The driver can somehow "follow" the movement of the window with the button 7 sliding in the slot 12, and obtain the desired position for the window 4 with great precision.

In the variant embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the switch 23 is provided with two series of electrical contacts C ' _l -C' ₂ , and C " ₁ -C" ₂ . Between each of these contacts and the corresponding stud 15, 16, is interposed a helical spring 24 for returning the control button 7 to the middle position. The contacts C ' ₁ and C' ₂ are closer to this central position of the button 7 than the contacts C " ₁ and C" ₂ and the four contacts are with elastic release or with a base mounted resiliently as shown. This makes it possible to first trigger C ' _i (or C' ₂ ) then C "i (or C" ₂ ). Therefore, when the driver exerts on the button 7 a push in one direction or the other, the electrical contact is first established with C ' _i or C' ₂ , and the window 4 is moved correlatively at slow speed . If the driver increases the push on the button 7, one or other of the contacts C "i and C" ₂ is then used, and the window 4 moves at slow speed in that of the chosen directions of travel, which allows an approach adjustment of its position.

Of course, this variant of embodiment also includes the servo loop of FIG. 5.

In the third embodiment of the window regulator shown in Figures 9 and 10, the switch 25 comprises a control button 26 mounted coupled on a rod 27 provided at one of its ends with a button return spring 28 26 in its middle position, and in contact with its opposite end with a potentiometer P, all of these elements being placed on the base 19. The potentiometer P is connected to the gearmotor 6 by means of an appropriate electronic system A connected to the battery 22 (Figure 10).

The potentiometer P therefore replaces the contacts of the preceding embodiments, so that when it is triggered by the button 26, the error signal produced by the servo loop of FIG. 5 is no longer an all or nothing, but an analog signal actually representing the difference between the input and the output of the servo.

The variant embodiment schematically shown in Figure 11 differs from the previous ones in that the switch 29 is here slidably mounted in a rectilinear slot 31 formed in the internal panel of the door 3, preferably vertically. In addition, the switch 29 is connected to the driving arm 1 by a flexible link 32, arranged in a manner known per se and adapted to allow remote control of the rotation of the arms 1 and 2 by displacement of the control button 33, the link 32 being mounted in a sheath of protection 34.

This embodiment therefore ensures control of the window regulator in an ergonomic manner, by virtue of the vertical displacement of the button 33, each position of which in the slot 31 corresponds to a position of the window 4.

Claims (5)

1. An electric glass-raising device for a motor vehicle, comprising two arms (1, 2) arranged in an X-configuration disposed inside the door (3) of the vehicle and supporting the corresponding glass (4), of which one (1) is a driving arm and the other (2) a driven arm, the driving arm (1) being fixed adjacent one of its ends to a support (5) which is capable of being driven in rotation by a motor-speed reducer (6) controlled by a manual control element (7) and its other end and those of the second (2) arm being slidably mounted in slideways (8, 9, 11) of the door (3); characterized in that the control element (7) is connected to the driving arm (1) in such manner as to be kinematically related to the latter, and this control element (7) projects out of a slot (12, 31) formed in the inner trim panel (13) of the door (3) and extending throughout the length of the travel of the control element (7), between the end positions of the glass (4), the control element (7) being slidable in said slot (12, 31) during the movement of the arm (1,2).

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control element is a switch (23) provided with two series of electric contacts (C'_I-C'₂; C"₁-C"₂) corresponding to two speeds of movement of the arms (1, 2), namely a rapid speed and a slow speed in each direction of operation.

3. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control element is a switch (29) which is movable in the slot which is in the form of a rectilinear slot (31) formed in the inner panel of the door (3) of the vehicle, preferably vertically, and this switch (29) is connected to the driving arm (1) by a flexible connecting means (32) allowing a remote control of this arm (1).

4. A device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the control element (7) and the motor-speed reducer (6) form a servo-control loop provided with a comparator (21) within the switch (14).

5. A device according to claim 4, characterized in that the control element is a potentiometer (P) connected to the motor-speed reducer (6) through a suitable electronic system (A).

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