Window lift mechanism
OwnerPaul J. Feneloninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A window lift mechanism for raising and lowering a window in a vehicle door includes a support bracket mounted to the window and a motor supported on the support bracket. A vertical rack is mounted to the door and is positioned immediately adjacent the window, and a vertical guide track is also mounted to the door parallel to the rack and immediately adjacent the window. A pinion gear driven by the motor is supported on the support bracket and engaged with the rack to permit vertical movement of the window. A slide is supported on the support bracket and engaged with the guide track to provide support as the window is raised or lowered. Alternatively, a second rack and pinion are used instead of the guide track and slide.
Claims54
A closure assembly comprising:
- a rack;
- a pinion gear operatively engaged with said rack;
- a curved closure member supported for movement along a movement path;
- said pinion gear being supported by said closure member and positioned on a first side of said movement path of said closure member;
- said rack and said pinion are being located immediately adjacent said closure member;
- a motor supported by said closure member including an output shaft connected to said pinion gear;
- and
- the entire motor including a center of gravity located on a second side of said movement path of said closure member.
A closure assembly comprising;
- a rack;
- a pinion gear operatively engaged with said rack;
- a planar closure member;
- said pinion gear being supported by said closure member and positioned on a first side of a plane defined by said closure member;
- said rack and said pinion gear being located immediately adjacent said closure member;
- the entire motor including a center of gravity located on a second side of said plane defined by said closure member.
A closure assembly comprising:
- a closure member;
- a first pinion gear supported by said closure member;
- a first rack operatively engaged with said first pinion gear;
- a second pinion gear supported by said closure member;
- a second rack parallel to said first rack and spaced from said first rack;
- said second rack being operatively engaged with said second pinion gear;
- a motor supported by said closure member and including a housing;
- said motor including a first output shaft connected to said first pinion gear;
- said motor housing having a length and said first and said second pinion gears each having a diameter;
- said first pinion gear being juxtaposed to said motor;
- said second pinion gear being juxtaposed to said motor;
- whereby the spacing of said first and second racks does not exceed the combined length of said motor housing and diameters of said first and second pinion gears.
A closure assembly comprising:
- a closure member;
- a first pinion gear supported by said closure member;
- a first rack operatively engaged with said first pinion gear;
- a second pinion gear supported by said closure member;
- a second rack parallel to said first rack and spaced from said first rack;
- said second rack being operatively engaged with said second pinion gear;
- a motor supported by said closure member and including a housing;
- said motor including a first output shaft connected to said first pinion gear;
- said motor housing having a length and said first and said second pinion gears each having a diameter;
- said first pinion gear being disposed adjacent said motor;
- said second pinion gear being disposed adjacent said motor;
- whereby the spacing of said first and second racks does not exceed the combined length of said motor housing and diameters of said first and second pinion gears;
- wherein said motor includes a second output shaft connected to said second pinion gear.
A closure assembly comprising:
- a closure member;
- a pinion gear supported by said closure member;
- and
- a rack operatively engaged with said pinion gear;
- wherein said rack is made from semi-rigid polymeric material and is sufficiently rigid to support compressive loads in a longitudinal direction while remaining flexible to allow resilient deflection of said rack in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said pinion gear along said rack to accommodate misalignment between said rack and the movement path of said pinion gear and thereby preclude binding between said pinion gear and said rack as said pinion gear travels along said rack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.