Adjustment drive

#The present invention relates to an adjustment drive, and in particular, to a setting drive in a motor vehicle.

#In an adjustment drive for a motor vehicle window raising mechanism described in DE-U-89 03 714.6, a gear wheel 3 and a driver 4 provided with an outside pinion 5 on the driver's power take-off side are rotatably mounted on an axially projecting axle bolt. This axle bolt is molded in one piece to the bottom of the gear housing and includes an axial shaft collar projecting out of the gear housing lid to the outside. The driver is sealed both radially outward relative to the gear housing lid, and radially inward relative to the axle bolt, by a dynamic seal 6. The dynamic seal 6 is a discrete O-ring held with a positive lock.

#An adjustment drive, particularly a seat adjustment drive in a motor vehicle, is described in DE-C2-36 11 568. In that adjustment drive, a driver is connected in one piece with the worm gear shaft as a solid part and is axially mounted on each of its sides via separate bearing holders in housing walls of the gear housing. To couple on a power take-off pinion (i.e., a pinion which provides power to external elements), the pinion is inserted, as a separate component with outside gear teeth, into corresponding inner gear teeth on the circumference of an axial bore through the driver.

#FIG. 1 is an axial, partial cut away view of a motor vehicle window lifting mechanism drive or motor vehicle sun roof drive, with an electric commutator motor which is connected, via flanges, to a gear mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 illustrates the drive of FIG. 1 in cross-section along the line II--II.

#FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of FIG. 2.

#FIG. 1 is an axial, partial cut-away view of the basic structure of an electric motor adjustment drive for a motor vehicle, which, for example, can be used as a window raising mechanism drive or a sun roof drive in a motor vehicle. At one side of the commutator motor (indicated only schematically with its motor housing 1) a gear housing 2 is connected (e.g., via flanges). The rotor shaft 11 of the commutator motor projects into the gear housing 2. The rotor shaft 11 is formed as a worm gear which engages a gear wheel 3 which is rotatably mounted in the gear housing 2.

#As shown in combination with the cross-sectional representation pursuant to FIG. 2, the radial outside gear crown of the gear wheel 3 is a one-piece injection molded part. This one-piece part also includes spring web type spokes 41 and a driver 4. A first side of the driver 4 is directly rotatably mounted radially within a corresponding bearing holder 211 of a gear housing lid 21. The first side of the driver 4 projects through a center opening of the gear housing lid 21 and includes a pinion 5 as the outermost drive element. The pinion 5 couples onto an activation element which actuates a motor vehicle window or a motor vehicle sun roof. As with the spring web type spokes 41, the pinion 5 is also a one-piece component of the driver 4. A second side of the driver 4 is directly rotatably mounted in a portion of the gear housing 2 with a second bearing region 43. In a preferred embodiment, the driver 4 consists of a material which performs bearing functions well, and in particular, the driver 4 consists of a corresponding plastic (e.g., a POM plastic, such as polyoxymethylene or ployacetal) or a sintered material, saturated with oil. A region 46 of the driver 4 provides a surface contacting a first sealing edge 7 thereby forming a dynamic seal. The first sealing edge 7 is described in more detail below.

#Instead of the one-piece connection between the gear wheel 3 and the driver 4 by means of the spring web type spokes 41, a drive connection can also be provided, within the scope of the present invention, such that radial drive webs of one of the two elements reach tangentially overlapping drive forks of the other element, where either the drive webs and/or the drive forks can be structured elastically in the form of tangential stop damping.