WO2002094609A2 - Module support for a vehicle door - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a module support (1) for a vehicle door, comprising at least one toothed rack (3) or threaded spindle. The invention also relates to a door function module based on said module support, comprising a window, wherein a tooth or worm gearing (4) engaging with the toothed rack or threaded spindle of the module support is fixed on or to the lower edge of said window.

Description

Module carrier for a vehicle door

description

The present invention relates to a module carrier for a vehicle door and a door function module containing this module carrier.

Many vehicle components are now delivered ready for assembly and generally only need to be assembled and fastened or connected. This considerably simplifies the production process in the production of series vehicles and also opens up the possibility of making quick and uncomplicated system changes. For example, so-called door function modules are used on the inside of vehicle doors, which contain a large number of door components such as window regulators, window guide rails, loudspeakers, cable ducts and motor housings for electric motors. Such door function modules also have the task of permanently and reliably separating wet and dry areas within a vehicle door.

Basically two systems have been established as pre-assembled window regulators. On the one hand there is a scissor lift, e.g. described in WO 00/35696 or US-A 5,079,871. This construction requires a large amount of space, in particular in the central area of a door function module, and very rigid components, in particular lever arms, which are regularly made of metal and therefore always require an additional manufacturing step.

In addition, the lifting and lowering mechanism for the window pane is also designed as a cable construction. In EP-A 0 982 165 e.g. a cable window lifter described, which is designed with a fixable spring tensioning device to ensure a precise adjustment of the window pane during use. This device shows that a cable construction only works properly when the cables used are permanently under tension.

A cable pulling device is also described in DE-A 19732225. It is expressly pointed out that the complete lifting and lowering mechanism for the window pane, including the pane supports, cable pulls, cable pulleys, cable tensioners and cable drive, must be mounted on the module carrier in a separate step. In order to be able to maintain the rope tension permanently and reliably and due to the use of the Forces acting cable mechanism are usually the individual components made of metal. As a result, additional manufacturing steps for each individual component as well as special stamping and shaping tools for each door function module type must be provided.

As can be seen from DE-A 195 28 467, mechanical tension in the lifting and lowering mechanism, e.g. due to manufacturing tolerances, not always avoid completely. This can lead to difficulties in the system. The reason for this is generally an increased friction of tilted or partially tilted components. Weaving increased wear is then usually accompanied by increased noise. According to DE-A 195 28 467, these disadvantages can be compensated for by spring-elastic elements attached between the window guide rail and module carrier. However, this makes component design even more complex. In addition, one cannot do without another material for the resilient element. Finally, there is also sufficient adhesion between the resilient element and the guide rail or module carrier, e.g. care about special adhesives, rivets or other holding devices.

A disadvantage of cable winch window lifters is also that the guide or slide rails of the window carrier must have at least a length which corresponds to the full lifting height of the window window. Particularly in vehicles with a low-lying window line, the preassembled cable lifters are therefore, according to DE-A 197 09 835, generally longer than the real height of the cut-out in the inner door panel, but this can lead to considerable difficulties during final assembly. According to DE-A 197 09 835, this problem can be remedied by providing indentations in the upper border of the inner door panel for receiving the upper end of the guide rail and the associated rope pulleys. However, such an embodiment inevitably entails adjustments to the tool for the inner door panel and impairs the rigidity and the structural freedom for the inner door panel.

If you want to take advantage of the door function module, the guide rails should be pre-assembled. This presupposes that the opening in the inner door panel and the dimensions of the door function module are coordinated with one another, which can lead to a loss of rigidity, especially in the case of large door function modules, and can only be compensated for by additional constructive measures such as transverse stiffeners made of metal (see also DE-A 197 32 225). As a bypass This problem is proposed in DE-A 198 02 477 to slidably mount at least one guide rail of the window lifter on the carrier plate so that it can be brought into the operating position after the door function module has been installed. However, this goes hand in hand with the fact that the sliding guide rail can only be brought into its intended optimal position during final assembly and can be fixed in compliance with the required safety standards. However, additional steps in final assembly regularly increase the susceptibility to errors.

The window lifting and lowering constructions according to the state of the art allow them to be incorporated into door function modules, but are very space-consuming and restrict the constructive scope in the design of vehicle doors. In addition, they require additional manufacturing and assembly steps, which counteracts the most economical production possible. In addition, the known lifting and lowering mechanisms rely on being very solid in order to function reliably and perfectly even in continuous operation and to withstand the forces that occur. This can be seen e.g. This is also due to the fact that the double-strand systems are preferred for cable winch lifters (see also DE-A 195 28 467). However, this in turn goes hand in hand with a higher component weight and higher material and manufacturing costs.

The present invention was therefore based on the object of finding a module carrier or a door function module which can be produced simply and inexpensively, does not restrict the design scope and does not have the aforementioned disadvantages.

Accordingly, a module carrier for a vehicle door has been found which comprises at least one rack or threaded spindle. Furthermore, a door function module was found that contains the module carrier mentioned.

The module carrier according to the invention essentially consists of a thermoplastic. Suitable thermoplastics include polyamides, in particular amorphous and partially crystalline polyamides, polyesters such as polybutylene terephthalate and polyethylene terephthalate, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyarylene ethers, for example polyphenylene ethers, polysulfones, polyether sulfones, polyether ketones, polyoxyalkylenes, for example polyoxymethylene, thermoplastic, thermoplastic polyurethanes syndiotactic polystyrene, styrene (co) polymers such as ASA and ABS copolymers, pol (meth) acrylates, for example polymethyl methacrylate, and mixtures thereof. Among the polyamides, amorphous as well as partially crystalline polyamides and copolyamides can be used. These polymers are commercially available eg under the trade name Ultramid ^® (BASF AG). Preferred polyesters is polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate particular represents which are commercially available under the trade name Ultradur ^® (BASF AG). The class of polypropylenes may be mentioned as particularly suitable polyolefins.

Suitable styrene (co) polymers are ABS, ASA, SAN and AES polymers. ABS polymers are, among other things, impact-modified styrene / acrylonitrile polymers in which graft copolymers of styrene and acrylonitrile on polybu- Tadiene rubbers are present in a copolymer matrix made of styrene and acrylonitrile. ASA polymers are generally understood to mean impact-modified styrene / acrylonitrile polymers in which graft copolymers of vinyl aromatic compounds, in particular styrene, and vinyl cyanides, in particular acrylonitrile, on polyalkylacrylate rubbers are present in a copolymer matrix of, in particular, styrene and acrylonitrile. Examples of suitable ABS and ASA polymers are the commercial products Terluran ^® and Luran ^® S (both BASF AG). Also suitable as styrene (co) polymers are also known as styrene / acrylonitrile copolymers short SAN, such as the product Luran ^® (BASF AG), methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymers, for example the commercial product Terlux ^® (BASF AG) and Styrene / butadiene polymers, styrene / butadiene block copolymers and vinyl chloride / acrylate graft copolymers. Mixtures of the aforementioned styrene (co) polymers can of course also be used.

Suitable polycarbonates are known per se. For the purposes of the invention, polycarbonates also include copolycarbonates. Polycarbonates preferably have a molecular weight (weight average M _w , determined by means of gel permeation chromatography in tetrahydrofuran against polystyrene standards) in the range from 10,000 to 200,000 g / mol. They are preferably in the range from 15,000 to 100,000 g / mol. This means that the polycarbonates generally have relative solution viscosities in the range from 1.1 to 1.5, measured in 0.5% strength by weight solution in dichloromethane at 25 ° C., preferably from 1.15 to 1.33 ,

Polycarbonates are obtainable, for example, in accordance with the processes of DE-B-1 300 266 by interfacial polycondensation or in accordance with the process of DE-A-1 495 730 by reacting diphenyl carbonate with bisphenols. The preferred bisphenol is 2,2-di (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, generally - as also below - as bis called phenol A. Are commercially available, for example, the polycarbonates Makrolon ^® (Messrs. Bayer) and Lexan ^® (Messrs. GE Plastics).

Instead of bisphenol A, other aromatic dihydroxy compounds can also be used, in particular

2, -di (4-hydroxyphenyl) pentane, 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylsulfane, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl ether, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylsulfite, 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylmethane, 1, 1 -Di- (4-hydroxyphenyl) ethane, 4, 4-dihydroxydiphenyl or dihydroxydiphenylcycloalkanes, preferably dihydroxydiphenylcyclohexanes or dihydroxylcyclopentanes, in particular 1, 1-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) -3, 3, 5-trimethylcyclohexane and mixtures of the aforementioned dihydroxy compounds.

Particularly preferred polycarbonates are those based on bisphenol A or bisphenol A together with up to 80 mol% of the aromatic dihydroxy compounds mentioned above. Copolycarbonates according to US Pat. No. 3,737,409 can also be used. Of particular interest are copolycarbonates based on bisphenol A and bis (3, 5-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone or 1, 1-di- (4-hydroxyphenyl) -3, 3, 5-trimethyl-cyclohexyl, which are characterized by high heat resistance. The latter copolycarbonate is also commercially under the trade name APEC ^® HT (Fa. Bayer) available. It is also possible to use mixtures of different polycarbonates.

Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) are the reaction products of diisocyanates with long-chain diols. Compared to the polyurethane foams formed from polyisocyanates (containing at least three isocyanate groups) and polyhydric alcohols (containing at least three hydroxyl groups), in particular polyether and polyester polyols, thermoplastic polyurethanes have no or only slight crosslinking and accordingly have a linear structure. Thermoplastic polyurethanes are well known to the person skilled in the art and can be found, for example, in the Plastics Manual, Volume 7, Polyurethanes, ed. G. Oertel, 2nd edition, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 1983, in particular on pages 428 to 473. Elastolan ^® (from Elastogran GmbH) may be mentioned here as a commercially available product.

Preference is given to polypropylene, also fiber-reinforced polypropylene, polyamide, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), thermoplastic polyurethanes, polycarbonates (PC) and to ASA and ABS polymers and mixtures thereof, in particular to mixtures of PBT / ASA and PBT / ABS impact modified and / or fiber reinforced, PC / ASA and PC / ABS, especially for the slide and guide rails. For the manufacture of the module Carriers made of thermoplastic materials can of course also use recyclates of the thermoplastic polymers mentioned. The aforementioned thermoplastic polymer materials are generally known, for example from H. Domininghaus, The plastics and their properties, VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf, 1992.

The thermoplastic module carrier material can contain customary auxiliaries / fillers and / or fibrous materials, preferably in amounts of 1 to 60, particularly preferably 5 to 50 and in particular 10 to 40% by weight, based on the total weight of the module carrier used thermoplastic.

Furthermore, the thermoplastic materials mentioned can be impact-modified in a known manner using conventional synthetic or natural rubbers.

Of course, customary additives such as light, UV and heat stabilizers, carbon blacks, processing aids and flame retardants can also be added to the thermoplastic material in the usual amounts.

In one embodiment of the invention, the thermoplastic material used, in particular the slide and / or guide rails for e.g. the window pane, contents of carbon fibers, graphite or molybdenum disulfide.

The module carriers according to the invention are preferably obtained by methods known to those skilled in the art, such as injection molding, thermoforming, hot pressing, injection stamping, low-pressure injection molding or blow molding.

The module carriers according to the invention are characterized in that they have at least one toothed rack or threaded spindle attached to them. These components can for example be made of a metal, e.g. be made of a light metal such as aluminum, the connection to the module carrier being able to be established by means of adhesive, rivets or screws. It is also possible to take the rack and threaded spindle directly into account when manufacturing the module carrier from metal.

For example, these components can be molded directly in one piece when using the die casting process.

In a preferred embodiment, the toothed rack is also composed of a thermoplastic material, as described above. The plastic material used for the rack can match both that of the module carrier. agree as well as deviate from this and, for example, be molded in a positive manner subsequently in a separate production step, for example by means of two-component (2K) injection molding technology.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the rack is taken into account directly in the manufacture of the module carrier. For example, it is possible to modify the injection molding tool for the module carrier in such a way that one or more racks of the desired shape and size are simultaneously formed on the surface of the module carrier. The shape of the individual teeth and that of the respective racks can be easily adapted to the desired task position.

Depending on the desired application, the rack can be designed as a vertical, horizontal, inclined, circular or curved rack. Racks running essentially vertically on the module are particularly suitable as components for lifting and lowering devices for motor vehicle door windows. Is e.g. For reasons of space, not only to lower a window pane for complete insertion into the door interior, but also to move it laterally, a curved rack guide or an initially essentially vertical rack guide, which merges into a corresponding curvature in the lower door function module area, is appropriate. Horizontal or circular racks can be used, among other things, as component components for adjusting devices for ventilation and locking flaps.

The module carrier according to the invention can also have a plurality of integrated holding and guiding elements, for example one or more separate or integrally connected guide or slide rails, for example for the window pane. These guide rails are preferably arranged in the regions of the module carrier near the side edges. They can extend in the vertical or almost vertical direction over the entire length of the module carrier or only over parts thereof. In one embodiment, a slide or guide rail is in the immediate vicinity of the rack or spindle. In particular, the slide or guide rail and rack can be designed as a functional unit, for example one side of a slide or guide rail can be shaped as a rack. The specific design of window guide rails, including those made of plastic, is known to the person skilled in the art, for example from DE 197 32 225, to which reference is hereby made.

Furthermore, the module carrier can contain other components, integrated in one piece or molded on separately, which are part of e.g. Locking devices, loudspeaker housings, air ducts or air ducts, cable ducts, airbag systems or stiffening elements such as stiffening ribs are used. The module carrier according to the invention can thus already in advance, i.e. in the course of pre-assembly, be equipped with all possible mechanical, electromechanical or electronic units.

The module carrier according to the invention is particularly suitable for the production of door function modules. Door function modules are usually arranged between the outer skin of a motor vehicle door and the inner lining. This door function module preferably has a module carrier, a window pane and at least one toothed or worm wheel or a toothed wheel or worm wheel gear, which is connected to the window pane in the lower region, in particular in the region of the lower edge, and into the toothed rack or Engages the threaded spindle of the module carrier and thus enables a relative movement of the window pane and module carrier. Commercially available toothed and worm gear transmissions can be used which are known, e.g. can be fixed in the lower area of the window pane by gluing, clamping or screwing. The toothed or worm gears are preferably made of metal, but can also be made of a thermoplastic material that is identical or different to that of the rack. In the same way, a screw nut running along a threaded spindle can be used instead of gears and racks.

The gear or worm gear can be driven by an electric motor. This electric motor can e.g. Depending on the shape and size of the vehicle door, it can be fixed directly in the area of the gearbox on the underside of the window or on the module carrier itself. In the latter case, the force is applied in a manner known to those skilled in the art, e.g. transmitted to the gear transmission via a rigid or flexible shaft or a threaded rod. In the same way, the force can be transmitted to the toothed or worm gear if the motor and gearbox are attached to the module carrier. As engines that are on or at the

Window pane are attached and with this relative to the door radio so-called flat motors are available.

To the shaft or threaded rod for power transmission to the gear or the threaded spindle or to the gear or

Worm gear transmissions, if the latter are also present on or on the window pane, can also have one or more guide elements formed on them, with which a reliable course of the toothed or worm wheel on the rack is ensured. For this purpose e.g. a rail can also be formed on the rack, in which the guide element engages.

In a further embodiment of the invention, two or more racks and / or threaded spindles can be arranged essentially parallel to one another on the module carrier. This configuration is particularly useful when large or heavy windows, e.g. Bulletproof glass, are to be moved.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of a drawing which merely represents an exemplary embodiment. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a door function module (1), comprising a module carrier (2) with a one-piece rack (3) that is essentially vertically aligned. A toothed gear (4) engages in the rack (3) and is attached to the underside of the window pane (5), e.g. is driven and controlled via a clamp or a tensioning element (8) and via a flexible shaft (6) with an electric motor (7) fixed on the module carrier (2).

Figure 2 shows a cross section through a door function module (1) comprising a module carrier (2) with an integrally molded rack (3), the gear mechanism (4) being driven via a shaft (6). Formed on the shaft is a clamping element (8) which establishes the connection to the disc 5 and which at the same time engages in a guide rail (9). (10) represents another guide element.

The fact that a wide range of components and component elements / components can be preassembled on the module carrier or at the same time molded on during the manufacture of the module carrier enables an uncomplicated final assembly of the door function module according to the invention on the inside of motor vehicle doors. It is also advantageous that the window guide rail (s) does not have to extend beyond the edge of the module carrier for the window lifting and lowering devices of the door function modules according to the invention to function properly.

Claims

claims 1. Module carrier for a vehicle door comprising at least one rack or a threaded spindle. 2. Module carrier according to claim 1, which has at least one window pane guide rail. 3. Module carrier according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that window pane guide rail or rack are integrally connected to the module carrier. 4. Module carrier according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the window pane guide rail does not protrude beyond the essentially horizontal circumferential limits of the module carrier. 5. Module carrier according to claims 1 to 4, consisting essentially of reinforced or unreinforced thermoplastic Plastics. 6. Module carrier according to claims 1 to 5, consisting essentially of polypropylene, polyesters, polycarbonates, styrene (co) polymers or mixtures thereof. 7. Use of the module carrier according to claims 1 to 6 for the production of door function modules. 8. Door function module comprising a module carrier according to claims 1 to 6 and a window pane, in which in the lower region of the window pane, in particular in the region of the lower edge, a gear or a worm wheel is attached or connected to or on this, which in the Rack or threaded spindle engages. 9. Door function module according to claim 8, characterized in that a gear or worm gear drive in the lower region of the window pane is attached to or attached to or connected to it. 10. Door function module according to claims 8 or 9, characterized in that a motor for the toothed or worm gear drive in the lower region of the window pane is attached to or connected to this or is present. Sign. 11. Door function module according to claim 9, characterized gekennzeicnnet that a motor for the gear or worm gear drive is attached to the module carrier and is connected via a rigid or flexible shaft or a threaded rod to the gear or worm gear. 12. Door function module according to claim 8, characterized in that the gear or worm gear is mounted on the module carrier and is connected to the gear or worm wheel via a rigid or flexible shaft or a threaded rod. 13. Door function module according to claim 12, characterized in that the motor for the toothed or worm gear drive is mounted on the module carrier. 14. Use of the door function modules according to claims 8 to 13 for the manufacture of vehicle doors, in particular passenger or truck, rail vehicles, aircraft or ships.