US 6,634,699 B2Granted

Counterbalanced rear closure for a vehicle

AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation

InventorsJames Francis Collins, Karl Simon Shargabian

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In a preferred embodiment, a dual panel vehicle rear closure assembly is actuated by a cable drive assembly. Cables push a rear panel upward from a closed position to a second position above the roof. The cables may then push both panels forward toward a third position to open a rear opening in the roof. A motor pushes the cables through channels to slide the rear panel. Free ends of cables are guided into cable return tubes. Compression assist springs in the tubes are compressed by the cables when the rear panel is in its closed position and provide a counterbalance force to assist in opening the panel. The compression springs may be shorter than the full cable. The shorter springs can be made stronger for applying the balancing forces to the lower portion of the panel travel.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A closure assembly for a vehicle, the assembly including:

at least one closure panel slidable upward from a lower closed to an upper open position in a path beginning in a first direction having a major vertical component and ending in a second direction having a major horizontal component;
and
a cable drive assembly connected for sliding the panel between the closed and open positions, the cable drive assembly comprising:
a drive motor;
at least one laterally contained drive cable having a free end and an opposite drive end connected with the panel for pushing the panel upward and pulling the panel downward by linear motion of the cable, the cable being drivably engaged by the drive motor intermediate the ends for driving the cable linearly in either of said directions;
and
a compression spring laterally contained and disposed linearly adjacent the free end of the cable, the spring having a contained distal end and an opposite near end engagable with the free end of the cable over at least a portion of the length of linear cable travel, the spring being compressed to a maximum force when the panel is in the lower closed position and extended to an uncompressed length when the cable is in the upper open position;
whereby the vertical component of panel motion is counterbalanced, at least in part, by the maximum force of the spring when the panel is closed and the counterbalance force diminishes as the panel is raised to the open position.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/092,806Filed 7 Mar 2002
Published: US 2003/0168884 A111 Sep 2003
Granted: 21 Oct 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

B60J 7/0573
Driving or actuating arrangements e.g. manually operated levers or knobs: power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical
B60J 5/12
Arranged at the vehicle rear: slidable; foldable
B60J 7/02
Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels , e.g. rotary sunroofs: of sliding type , e.g. comprising guide shoes
B60J
Windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors, or similar devices for vehicles