Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
3'~
D-6,856
C-342~
WINDOW PANE, ADJUSTABLE IN HEIGHT,
PARTICULARLY F~R MOT~R ~EHICLES
The invention is directed to a vertically
adjustable window panel, especially for use in a door
of a motor vehicle, which is arranyed so as to be
flush with th~ adjacent parts of the vehicle body,
and in which the guide means thereo as well as the
window sealing means are being disposed inboard of
the window panel.
In an arrangement of this type disclosed in
the German DE-AS 28 09 721 and DE-OS 29 24 309, the
guide means in inwardly off-set from the margin of
the window panel. A sealing strip is bearing upon
the window panel itself. In this arrangement, the
guide means are in the form of individually arranged
sliding elements which are secured to the window
panel near the upper and lower end thereof. If in
this arrangement the window panel is to be lowered
completely into the door, the upper sliding element
is caused to move downwardly through the window well
packing. As a result, the window well packing cannot
bear directly upon the window sealing stxip because
a gap must be maintained between the end of the well
packing and the window sealing strip through which
the sliding element can move downwardly into the door.
This gap between the well packing and the window
sealing strip has the disadvantage that noise from
within the door is admitted into the occupant compart-
ment. Also, an arrangement of this type does not
look very neat. Ihe sliding elements are guided
directly in an elongate guide member of the window
frame, also laterally, so that tolerance compensation
in the longitudinal direction o~ the window, i.e.,
the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, is diffi-
cult, if not impossible. Furthermore, dimensional
.~
3~
variations in the sliding member transversely to the
window plane may cause increased friction in the
elongate guide member.
While toleranca compensation is possible in
the arrangement according to Figure 3 o German DE-OS
~8 40 811, dimensional variations in the retention or
guide member may cause excessive friction in guiding
the window paneI, or may have the result that insuf-
ficient contact pressura is being exerted by the
window sealing strip on the window.
It is the object of the present invention
to provide a window guide in which tolerance compen-
sation in the longitudinal direction of the window
panel is achieved without difficulty. Furthermore,
friction is to be reduced in guiding the window
panel along the window frame, and only insignificant
changes ~o be caused as a result of tolerance varia-
tions in guiding the window panel. But more signifi-
cantly, the present invention provides that the window
well is bearing directly on the window sealing strip,
so that there is no gap which permits noise to be
transmitted from within the door to the occupant
compartment. This objective is achieved in accordance
with the invention in that the window sealing strip
is disposed rarther away from the margin of the window
panel than the window guide means, and in that the
latter is guided along the window frame, with a yield~
able elastomeric guide strip, corresponding in type
to the window sealing strip, being interposed between
the guide means and the window frame, and said guide
strip being-biased against the guide means in oppo-
sition of the bias of the sealing strip. The
employment of an elastically yieldable guide strip
not only provides better noise isolation, but has, in
combination with the window sealing strip, the
3~
additional advantage that the physical impact that
is generated whenever the vehicle door is being shut
is dampened. The material used for the window sealing
strip and the guide strip should b~ of a type so as
to provide proper sealing and guiding characteristics
without generating excessive friction between the
guide means and the guide strip.
In addition to the type of ma~erial selected
for the window sealing strip and the guide strip, which
may be rubber or plastics, it is important for achiev-
ing proper sealing, guiding and sliding characteristics,
that the sealing and guide strip be of appropriate
sectional configuration. Thus, the invention further
proposes that the window sealing stxip be, as is
conventional, of the lip-shaped type. It has been
found to be advantageous that the guide strip, too, be
of lip-shaped cross-section. In tenms of manufac~ur-
ing and assembly technique, it is proposed that the
lip-shaped sealing strip and the lip-shaped guide
strip be in the form of one unitary profiled strip.
Furthermore, thanks to the lip-shaped cross-section
of both the sealing strip and the guide strip, frlction
is reduced to a large degree. If the sealing strlp and
the guide strip are in the form of two separate mem-
bers, the guide strip may be rigidly fixed to theguide means and be adapted to slide in a track~
The cross-section of the lip-shaped sealing
strip and the lip-shaped guide strip may be such that
the respective lips are extending in the same or in
opposite direction, depending on whether the guide
means are directed, when viewed from the edge of the
window, towards the inside of the window panel or
away from it.
It has been found to be of advantage that
the guide means be in the form of a track. A
1:~9~
continuous track of this type in itself serves as a
sort of sealing means or at least as a dust shield.
Thus, a closed-in space is provided betw~en the guide
rail and the actual window seal. Preferably, the
track is attached directly to the peripheral margin
of the` window panel, and a flange provided on the
track covers the edge of the window panel. Thus, the
track serves as a means of pro~ecting ~he window panel
against damage and also as a sort of window frame.
The portion of the lip shaped sealing strip disposed
in the lateral area of the window panel corxesponds,
when viewed in cross-section, to the portion disposed
in the upper area, so that a uniform transitional
area is being formed between the two sealing strip
portions at their juncture.
The invention will now be described in
detail by way of exemplary embodiments:
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of a vehicle door,
Figure 2 is a sectional view along line
II-II in Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a sectional view along line
III-III in Figure 1,
Figure 4 is another embodiment of the
arrangement according to cross-section II-II in
Figure 1,
Figure 5 is a sectional view along V~V in
Figure 1,
Figure 6 is another sectional view along
line III-III in Figure 1.
The vehicle door 2 illustrated in Figure 1
is provided with a window frame 4 disposed inboard
o~ the vehicle, whose lateral portions are extending
downwardly between the inner and outer door panel,
and a window panel 22 is guided along said window
~:19~
frame 4. The window rame 4 is made of rolled
sectional steel. The section, i.e. profile, may
look like that illustrated in Flgura 2 and includes
a flange designated by the numeral 8. Attached to
flange 8 is a length of profiled strip 10 having a
leg 12 which engages a complimantary recess 14, so as
to assist in retaining the profiled strip 10 on the
window frame 4. However, attachment of the profiled
strip 10 to the window frame 4 can be accomplished
in a variety of ways. The profiled strip 10 is pro-
vided with a metallic reinforcement 16. Otherwise,
the profiled strip is made of rubber or plastics of
a predetermined hardness. The profiled strip 10 is
comprised of the lip-shaped window sealing strip 18
and the guide strip 20, which is also lip-shaped. In
order to perform the function of sealing and guiding,
the pro~iled strip 10 must be made of a material
which is o~ a predetermined hardness and which e~bits
some definite friction characteristics. Furthermore,
a covering or concealing lip 21 may be formed onto
the profiled strip 10, as indicated by the dash-
dotted lines in Figure 2.
The sealing strip 18 abuts against the
window panel 22. A guide rail 24 is attached to the
marginal area of the window panel 22 by way of an
adhesive 26. The guide rail 24 is provided with a
flange 28 which abuts against the edge of the window
panel and serves as a shield for protecting said
edge against damage. The guide rail 24 embraces the
guide strip 20 from behind by means of an arm 30.
The lip-shaped sealing strip 18 is biased against the
window panel 22, and the lip-shaped guide strip is
biased against the arm 30 of the guide rail 24.
Thus, the window paneI is guided, to a limited degree,
elastically in transverse direction relative to its
~2~3~
travel along the window frame 4. The window sealing
strip 18 is in direct abutting ~eIation with the window
well sealing means 3~ extPnd; ng along the lower edge
of the window opening, i.e., without any gap being
present therebetween.
Figure 3 is a cross-section of the upper
portion of the frame 4 ex~e~lng along the roof.
Here, the profiled strip 10 ~orms the window seal 18
and the guide strip 20 is being dispensed with. In-
stead of the guide strip 20, an al-~iliAry sealing
strip 34 is provided, which will engage the upper
edge of the window paneI 22 when the window is in
the closed position. Just as in the arrangement
shown in F~gure 2, the profiled strip 10 is attached
to the window frame 4. The cross-section of the
elongate profiled member 10 in the area of the window
sealing strip 18 is the same as that of Fiyure 2,
i.e., the length of the vertical sealing strip.
Thus, in the corner areas, the profiled lengths of
the vertical and the horizontal sealing strip are
engaging one another with no area of transition
being apparent. The window sealing strip 18 and the
window well seal 32 are forming a closed sealing
frame, even though the drop window, i.e. the window
panel 22, can be completely lowered. Thus, the seal
ing surfaces on the window panel 22 are not ink~LU~Led
by the employment of fastening means.
Figure 4 illustrates a modification of the
embodiment according to Figure 2. Again, the profiled
elastomeric strip 10' made of rubber or plastics is
secured to the window frame 4', which differs somewhat
from th~ one in Figure 2. The lip-shaped window
sealing strip is again designated by the numeral 18,
and ~he guide strip by the numeral ~O. The guide
rail 24' projects outwardly ~rom the edge of the
3~
window panel 22 and is attached thereto by means of
an adhesi~e foil 26'. He~e, too, the guide rail 24'
is provided with a flange 28' for shielding the edge
of the window. One portion of the window frame 4l
is formed into surface 40' which is iush with the
window panel 22. Said surface 40' may be extended
outwardly~ as indicated ~y the dash-dottea lines, so
as to conceal the ~oor pillar. As is apparent from
the drawing J the lip-shaped seàling strip 18 and the
lip-shaped guide strip 20 are extending in substan-
tially the same direction, i.eD, both are facing
toward the left-hand side.
In Figure 5, which is a cross-section
along line V-V of Figure 1, different arrangements
are illustrated ~or guiding the front and the rear of
the window panel 22. The right-hand, i.e. the rear
guiding arrangement, corresponds substantially to the
one of Figure 2. ~he parts are therefore illustrated
like those in Figure 2. A door pillar 42 is disposed
adjacent the window frame-4 and the guide rail 24.
door seal 46 is provided on the door pillar 42 and
retained thereon by the flange molding 44. When the
door is clGsed, the window frame 4 will abut against
the seal 46. The outside of the door pillar 42 is
covered by the rearwardly disposed side window.
In the left-hand portion of Figure 5, the
guide ch~nnel iS formed by sheet metal parts and is
covered by a plastic panel 50. In all other respects,
the sealing and guide arrangement corresponds to the
one illustrated in Figure 4, i.e., the guide rail 2~'
is also directed outwardly with respect to the window
edge. The window ~ell seal 32 is disposed inter-
mediate the two window seals 18. Figure 6 is a cross-
section along line III-III of Figure 1, i.e., a
section according to Figure 3. The window frame 4
3~
corresponds to the one shown in the right hand portion
of Figure 5, and the same i~ true of. the elongate
profiled member 10, except that it is provided with
an auxiliary seal 34. The edge of the roof is desig-
nated by the numeral 52, and the numsral 46 identifiesagain the door seal which is retained by means of the
flange molding 44. The window seal 18 with its
lateral and upper portion, as well as the seal 32,
are forming a closed sealing frame for engaging the
window panel 22, which is flush with the adjacent
members of the vehicle body.
Summary
The obj~ct ~o be achieved is that of pro-
viding that in a vertically adjustable window panel
for motor vehicles, which iæ mounted flush with the
adjacent body members, the seal for the window well
is to bear directly upon the window seal. Further-
more, tolerance compensation in the longitudinal
direction of the window panel and transversely
thereto is to be effected with respect to the w2ndow
frame.
It is therefore proposed that the window
seal be spaced apart from the edge of the window
panel at a greater distance than the window guide
means, and that the latter be directed along the
window frame, with an elastomeric guide strip, corre-
sponding in type to the window sealing strip, being
interposed therebetween, said guide strip being biased
against ~he guide mPans in opposition to the bias of
the window sealing strip.
Although the illustrated embodiments hereof
have been described in graat detail, it should be
apparent that certain modifications, changes and
adaptations may be made in the illustrated embo~;mPnt.~
and that it is intended to cover.all such modifications,
changes and adaptations which come within the spirit of
the prese~t invention.
