Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
  • B60J1/00—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor
  • B60J1/08—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at vehicle sides
  • B60J1/12—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at vehicle sides adjustable
  • B60J1/16—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at vehicle sides adjustable slidable
  • B60J1/17—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at vehicle sides adjustable slidable vertically
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
  • B60J1/00—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor
  • B60J1/08—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at vehicle sides
  • B60J1/10—Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor arranged at vehicle sides fixedly mounted

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates generally to a window assembly for a vehicle, and more particularly to window guide for a convertible vehicle.
• Vehicles generally include a door, and the door includes a window portion that is moveable between an open position and a closed position.
• the vehicle also includes a fixed window associated with the vehicle body.
• the fixed window is attached to a window frame, and the moveable window travels with respect to a guide integrally formed in the window frame.
• the present disclosure relates to a window guide assembly for a vehicle having a frameless door.
• the vehicle includes a moveable window having an inner surface and an outer surface and a free edge that is adjacent a fixed panel free edge.
• the window guide assembly further includes a fixed window track secured to an inner surface of a fixed panel and adjacent the free edge.
• the fixed window track extends a predetermined length beyond a lower edge of the fixed panel and includes a U-shaped groove.
• the window guide assembly also includes a guide member attached to an inner surface of a moveable window and adjacent the free edge, such that the guide member includes a finger like projection that is slidingly disposed in the track as the moveable window is displaced.
• An advantage of the present disclosure is that a window guide assembly is provided that is located entirely on the interior of the vehicle, so that a continuous exterior surface is provided between adjacent window surfaces. Another advantage of the present invention is that the window guide assembly eliminates the need for a window frame. A further advantage of the present invention is that the window guide assembly provides smooth operation between an open and closed position of the window.
• FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a vehicle, according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a elevational view of a panel for a vehicle having a frameless door.
• FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a window assembly for the vehicle of FIG 1 in a raised position, according to an exemplary embodiment.
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the window guide assembly of FIG. 3.
• FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the panel for a vehicle of FIG. 2 with the window in a lowered position.
• FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the window guide assembly of FIG. 3 in a lowered position.
• FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the window guide assembly of FIG. 6.
• a vehicle 10 having a frameless door is illustrated.
• the vehicle 10 is a motor vehicle having two doors, although in another example the vehicle 10 has more than two doors.
• the vehicle 10 includes an interior space referred to as a passenger compartment, and the passenger compartment is enclosed by a roof.
• the vehicle 10 also includes a storage space referred to as a trunk or luggage compartment.
• the trunk or luggage compartment is accessible via a panel member referred to as a deck lid.
• the vehicle 10 includes a body 12 that supports panels that delineate the physical appearance of the vehicle 10. The panels may be fabricated from a material such as metal or a glass or the like.
• the vehicle body 12 includes a panel member 14 that is fixed.
• the fixed panel member 14 is generally planar and may have various shapes, such as rectangular, triangular or the like.
• the fixed panel member 14 is a glass window, although it could be another solid material such as metal, plastic, a composite (e.g., carbon fiber, etc.), and/or the like.
• the fixed panel member 14 includes an inner surface 14a and an outer surface 14b, and a free edge 14c.
• the fixed window member 14 is secured to the vehicle body 12 using a conventionally known technique, such as welding.
• the vehicle body 12 includes a moveable portion, or door 16 that is displaceable with respect to the vehicle body.
• the door 16 includes an outer door panel member 16a secured to an inner door panel member (not shown).
• a moveable window or glass member 18 is supported between the outer door panel member 16a and inner door panel member by a window mechanism (not shown), so that the moveable window member 18 is displaceable between a raised position shown at 20 and a lowered position, as shown at 22.
• the window mechanism controls the upward and downward movement of the moveable window.
• it includes a pair of guide rails, a motor or manual crank, and either a cable or lever mechanism and is attached to the vehicle (e.g., door structure, etc.).
• the moveable window member 18 includes an inner surface 18a and an outer surface 18b.
• the moveable window member 18 also includes a free edge 18c that is adjacent the fixed window member free edge 14c. It should be appreciated that the moveable window member outer surface 18b and fixed window member outer surface 14b are flush and form a continuous, uninterrupted surface that is visually appealing. A lower portion of the moveable window member may remain between the door panel members when the moveable window member 18 is in a raised position, as shown at 24.
• the vehicle 10 includes a window guide assembly 26 having a window track 28 that is positioned on an inner surface 14a of the fixed panel, along the free edge of the fixed panel 14c.
• the window track 28 extends along the entire fixed panel free edge, and does not extend onto or otherwise cover the outer surface of the fixed panel 14b. Further, a portion of the track 28 extends beyond a lower edge of the fixed panel 14 a predetermined length as shown in FIG. 5 at 30. The predetermined length may correspond to the side dimension of the moveable window 18.
• the track 28 is secured to the fixed panel using a conventional technique, such as an adhesive or the like.
• the track 28 includes a U-shape channel 32 extending the length of the track 28.
• the track 28 may include a lip portion 34 that extends over the free edge of the fixed window 14c, but does not extend over the outer surface of the fixed window 14b.
• the window guide assembly 26 further includes a guide member 36 secured to an inner surface of the moveable window 18a along a free edge of the moveable window 18c.
• the guide member 36 is generally rectangular and includes an outwardly projecting finger 38. It is contemplated that the finger 38, however, can have other predetermined geometries, such as, straight rectangular, rectangular with rounded corners, cylindrical, or the like.
• the finger 38 is complementary in shape and size to the channel 32 formed in the track 28, so that the finger is slideable along the track 28 as the moveable window assembly 18 traverses between a raised position 20 and a lowered position 22.
• the guide member 36 may include a lip portion 38 that extends over the free edge of the moveable window 18c, but does not extend over the outer surface of the movable window 18b. In this example the guide member extends along the entire length of the moveable window free edge; however, it could be less, or extend between the door panels.
• the guide member 36 and channel member 32 is fabricated from a rigid material, such as plastic, rubber, metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, etc.) or the like.
• the guide member lip 40 and track lip 34 may be adjacent each other when the moveable window member 18 is in a closed or raised position 20, so as to form a seal that prevents the intrusion of moisture, wind, noise or the like.
• the window guide assembly 26 may include a second track 42 that is conventional and that receives the opposed edge of the moveable window member 18.
• the second track 42 includes a U-shaped channel 44 for receiving the edge of the window.
• the second track 42 is entirely located between the door panels, so that it is not visible.
• the window 18 and door 16 may include other hardware that is known in the art, such as hardware for raising or lowering the window 18.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Window Of Vehicle (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=42316806

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (8)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2010
  • 2010-01-07 WO PCT/US2010/020349 patent/WO2010080895A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2010-01-07 DE DE112010000735T patent/DE112010000735T5/de not_active Ceased
  • 2010-01-07 JP JP2011545422A patent/JP2012514561A/ja active Pending
  • 2010-01-07 CN CN2010800072495A patent/CN102333932A/zh active Pending

Patent Citations (8)

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