JPH0573613B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a device for automatically opening and closing a rear window for an automobile.

[Conventional technology]

Many of the conventional rear windows of automobiles are fixed to the vehicle body like a windshield, and at present there are almost no rear windows that can be opened and closed automatically.

The reason for this is that in the case of rear windows, there are various problems that must be solved, such as the following.

(1) The rear window glass is large and heavy, and in order to reliably support it and open and close it, the drive and guide devices are large and heavy.
Increases weight.

(2) When a rear window is attached to the back door of a hatchback vehicle, if the device for opening and closing the rear window becomes heavy, it becomes difficult to open and close the back door.

(3) It may be possible to pivot the upper end of the rear window glass to the back door and open the lower end by rotating it rearward and upward using a drive device installed on the back door. If the back door is further opened with the rear window glass open, the tip of the rear window glass may collide with, for example, the ceiling of the garage or luggage placed on the roof of the car, causing damage.

(4) In cases where the back door also serves as a trunk lid that covers the top surface of the trunk room, the movement trajectory of the rear window glass must be set so that the trunk lid part does not interfere with the opening and closing of the rear window. , the guidance device becomes complicated.

However, in recent years, customers' choice of vehicle models has become more diverse, and there has been a tendency for customers to prefer more unique vehicles, and convertible cars with a sense of openness have also appeared.

Against this background, the emergence of an automatic rear window opening/closing device that provides a greater sense of openness and can be used for multiple purposes such as ventilation inside the vehicle has been awaited.

Therefore, the present applicant solved the above-mentioned problems by the following means, developed a device that can automatically open the rear window, and filed a separate patent application and utility model application on the same date as this application. I have applied for registration.

That is, the means is such that they are spread out in a V-shape across the longitudinal center line of the vehicle body,
Two sliding members are slidably attached to each of a pair of guide rails fixed to both sides of the frame, and one sliding member is attached to a pair of front and rear guide rails that support each side of the window glass. The support link is pivotally supported so as to be freely raised and tilted by a pair of shafts that are oriented in a lateral direction perpendicular to the center line and that are slidable in the lateral direction and are attached to the one sliding member. , by connecting a shaft that faces in a lateral direction perpendicular to the center line and is attached to the other sliding member so as to be slidable in the lateral direction and one of the support links to each other with an auxiliary link. , raising and lowering both the support links by relative movement of both sliding members,
The present invention is characterized in that the window glass is opened and closed, and a driving device is provided at a suitable position on the frame to move each of the sliding members along a guide rail.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned opening/closing device, the pair of guide rails are arranged so as to sandwich the center line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and expand into a V-shape. The glass is opened and closed in the same direction as the center line, and support links and Each shaft that pivotally supports the auxiliary link is attached to each sliding member so as to be slidable in the lateral direction.

However, if each of the above-mentioned shafts is made to be able to slide laterally relative to each sliding member, each shaft may move inadvertently laterally at an undesirable time, causing each sliding member to become an auxiliary link and support. The positional relationship with the link may deviate laterally from the preset value, for example, the inclination angle of the auxiliary link with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle body may change randomly during operation, causing the effective length of the auxiliary link to change. There is a possibility that the movement trajectory of the window glass may be different from the set one, or that the entire window glass may be misaligned in the lateral direction with respect to each guide rail.

In addition, if the sliding member that supports the auxiliary link is close to the sliding member that supports the support link, for example, the tip of the guide rod fixed to the shaft of each support link may fall into the groove provided on the shaft of the auxiliary link. If the shafts are engaged and then allowed to move laterally together, the auxiliary link will move until the sliding member on the auxiliary link approaches the sliding member on the support link. If the shaft on the link side moves erroneously in the lateral direction, the tip of the guide rod will not accurately engage the groove on the auxiliary link side, resulting in a problem in that the shafts will not be able to connect with each other.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a system that can temporarily restrain the lateral movement of one of the shafts that pivots the link mechanism for supporting the window glass with respect to the sliding member. The object of the present invention is to provide a rear window opening/closing device for an automobile.

[Means for solving problems]

As a specific means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the device of the present invention has two parts fixed to both sides of the frame so as to spread out in a V-shape across the longitudinal center line of the vehicle body. A plurality of sliding members are slidably attached to each of the pair of guide rails,
A shaft facing in a lateral direction perpendicular to the center line is attached to each sliding member so as to be slidable in the lateral direction, and a link mechanism that supports each side of the window glass is pivotally supported by the shaft. , an automobile rear window opening/closing device in which each of the shafts slides laterally with respect to each sliding member, thereby absorbing fluctuations in the left-right distance when each sliding member moves along a guide rail. In this case, the intermediate portion of one of the shafts protrudes from the outer periphery of the shaft and engages with the end of the bearing portion of the sliding member to which the shaft is attached, thereby causing the shaft to slide in the lateral direction. A lock pin that can prevent movement is provided so that it can freely move in and out of the outer periphery of the shaft, and is always biased in the direction of protrusion. The present invention is characterized in that a lock release mechanism is provided which allows the lock pin to sink into the shaft and release the locked state of the shaft by approaching the lock pin.

[Effect]

According to the automobile rear window opening/closing device of the present invention, the lock pin protrudes from the outer periphery of the shaft between the two adjacent sliding members mounted on the same guide rail from being separated from each other to approaching each other. , engages an end of a bearing portion of a sliding member on which the shaft is mounted, to prevent lateral movement of the shaft with respect to the sliding member, and prevents lateral movement of the shaft with respect to the sliding member, and The branch does not move inadvertently laterally with respect to the sliding member.

When the slide members are brought into close proximity to each other, the locking mechanism retracts the locking pin into the shaft, which is then free to slide laterally relative to the slide members.

After that, when both sliding members slide along the guide rail arranged in a V-shape while remaining close to each other, the link mechanism is pivoted for each sliding member. Each shaft slides in the lateral direction and absorbs the deviation between the moving direction of each sliding member along the guide rail and the opening/closing direction of the window glass.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

To explain with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, 1
is the car body, 2 is the upper rear end of the car body 1,
It is a so-called hatchback type back door which is pivotally attached with a hinge (not shown) and whose rear end can be opened and closed in the vertical direction.

The back door 2 has a front half that slopes upward,
A frame 5 is provided with a trapezoidal window hole 3 formed therein and whose rear part is substantially horizontal and covers the upper part of a trunk room 4 at the rear of the vehicle body 1.

A window glass 6 constituting a rear window is inserted into the window hole 3 in the frame 5 by an opening/closing device 7 shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 6.
It is provided so that it can be freely opened and closed from the fully closed position shown in the figure, through the intermediate position shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, to the fully open position shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, and in the opposite direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and subsequent figures, the opening/closing device 7 includes a pair of left and right guide rails 8 fixed to the vehicle-inward side surface of the frame 5 on both sides of the window hole 3.

Both guide rails 8 are inclined forward and upward so as to be parallel to the window frame portion of the frame 5, and
They are arranged in a V-shape that extends downward to the left and right of each other.

The left and right guide rails 8 and the members of the opening/closing device 7 attached to them are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center line L of the vehicle body 1 (see FIGS. 2 and 6 to 9). Therefore, in the following explanation, only the one on the right will be explained, and the explanation on the one on the left will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the guide rail 8 includes a flat horizontal base piece 8a and a base piece 8a.
and the inner end of the base piece 8a (when referring to the inside and outside, the direction facing the center of the vehicle body 1 is referred to as the inside, and the opposite direction is referred to as the outside. The same applies hereinafter). With the shorter side piece 8c that hangs down more,
A guide groove 9 is formed with a widened part 9a at the upper end and a continuous narrow part 9b below the center, and an overhanging piece 8d that projects horizontally inward is connected to the lower end of the side piece 8c. It has a cross-sectional shape formed by the guide groove 9.
The base piece 8a is fixed to the lower surface of the frame 5 with the opening 9c of the narrow portion 9b facing downward.

On the side surface of the narrow portion 9b of the guide groove 9 on the side piece 8b side, there is a substantially circular cable guide groove 10 for guiding and fitting geared cables 31 and 75, which will be described later.
11 is in two stages, upper and lower, and the narrow part 9b of the guide groove 9
Each hole is opened so that it opens toward the other side.

Also, the side piece 8c in the narrow part 9b of the guide groove 9
A similar cable guide groove 12 is formed on the side surface so as to open toward the narrow portion 9b, but in this embodiment, this cable guide groove 12 has no function. Not yet.

Two sliding members 13 and 14 are fitted into the guide groove 9 of each guide rail 8 so as to be able to freely slide independently of each other.

Each sliding member 13, 14 has a front and a rear portion 1 that slidably fits into the widened portion 9a of the guide groove 9 of the guide rail 8.
Each pair of horizontal sliding pieces 13a, 14a is provided, and the hanging pieces 13b, 14b hang down from the center of these pieces through the narrow part 9a of the guide groove 9.

Shaft supporting pieces 13c, 13d, and 14c are connected to the front and rear lower ends of the hanging piece 13b of the sliding member 13 and to the lower end of the central part of the hanging piece 14b of the sliding member 14, respectively. Support pieces 13c, 13d, 1
4c, there are mutually parallel bearing tubes 1 that are perpendicular to the center line L of the vehicle body 1 and therefore intersect with the guide rail 8 at an angle other than right angles.
5, 16, and 17 are fixed so as to penetrate through each of them.

Each bearing sleeve 15, 16, 17 has a shaft 18, 1
9 and 20 are fitted to each other so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the center line L.

The lower ends of a pair of support links 21 and 22 are pivotally fitted to the inner ends of the shafts 18 and 19, respectively.
The upper end of each support link 21, 22 is connected to a glass support plate 2 fixed to the lower surface of both sides of the window glass 6.
A shaft 25, which is perpendicular to the center line L, is attached to the outer surface of a downward U-shaped bracket 24 fixed to the lower surface of 3.
26, respectively.

The support link 21 is slightly shorter than the support link 22, and both support links 2 have different dimensions.
By supporting the window glass 6 with the support links 21 and 22, the tilt angle of the window glass 6 when the window glass 6 is opened to the intermediate position shown in FIG. The angle of inclination is made smaller than the angle of inclination when fully closed as shown in FIG. 3, that is, the angle of inclination is made as close as possible to the angle of inclination (substantially horizontal) of the rear half of the back door 2.

The inner end of the shaft 20 and the inner end of a pin 27 bored into the inner surface of the intermediate portion of the support link 21 are connected to each other by an auxiliary link 30 having ball joints 28 and 29 at both ends.

The auxiliary link 30 and the support links 21 and 22 form a link mechanism that supports each side of the window glass 6.

Thus, while the sliding member 13 is stopped at the upper limit position shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7, the sliding member 14 is at the upper limit position shown in FIGS. By relatively moving from the upper limit position to the intermediate position shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the support link 21 is erected via the auxiliary link 30,
The window glass 6 is moved to the fully closed position or the intermediate position, and the sliding member 14 is moved in the opposite direction to the above case, so that the support link 21 is collapsed via the auxiliary link 30, and the window glass 6 is moved to the fully closed position or the intermediate position. is moved from an intermediate position to a fully closed position.

During the movement of the sliding member 14 from the upper limit position to the intermediate position and in the opposite direction, the shaft 20 is prevented from moving in the left-right direction relative to the bearing sleeve 17 by the action of the lock mechanism 61, which will be described later. As the sliding member 14 moves along the guide rail 8 , the pivot point of the auxiliary link 30 to the shaft 20 changes relative to the pivot point of the auxiliary link 30 to the pin 27 at the intermediate position of the support link 21 . , the position is relatively shifted in the left and right direction.

At this time, the displacement in the left and right direction of the pivot joints at both ends of the auxiliary link 30 is determined by using the ball joints 28 and 29 as the pivot joints at both ends of the auxiliary link 30, and the position of the auxiliary link 30 itself in the left and right direction. This is compensated for by allowing a slight tilting in the direction (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

In the cable guide groove 10 of each guide rail 8, a spiral winding 31b made of hard steel wire is wound around a core wire 31a made of hard steel wire, as shown in FIGS. 9, 12 to 14. A known geared cable 31 is fitted so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the upper end of the geared cable 31 is inserted as shown in FIG. Mounting bracket 32 and set screw 3
3 and is fixedly attached to the sliding member 14.

The geared cable 31 passes from the lower end of the guide rail 8 through the guide tube 34 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 15.
As shown in the figure, it is guided to a cable drive mechanism 35 provided on the lower surface of the substantially horizontal rear half of the frame 5 of the back door 2.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 15, the cable drive mechanism 35 has an intermediate portion parallel to the lower surface of the frame 5 with an appropriate distance therebetween.
a support plate 36 whose front and rear parts are fixed to the frame 5;
Mounting fittings 37 are used to fix the guide tubes 34, which guide the geared cables 31 from the lower ends of the left and right guide rails 8, on the support plate 36 so as to be parallel to each other at appropriate intervals in the front and rear. An axial slit 3 is cut in the opposing portion of the guide tube 34.
8, the front and rear portions mesh with the geared cables 31 inserted through the respective guide tubes 34, and
A pinion 40 is firmly fitted to the upper end of the rotating shaft 39 passing through the support plate 36, and a pinion 40 is tightly fitted to the lower end of the rotating shaft 39 within the case 14 fixed to the lower surface of the supporting plate 36, and rotates in synchronization with the pinion 40. A worm wheel 42 , a worm wheel 43 rotatably supported in the case 41 so as to mesh with the worm wheel 42 , and a rotating shaft 44 a attached to the lower surface of the support plate 36 .
3 and a reversible motor 44 that rotates the worm 43 in forward and reverse directions.

The motor 44 rotates the pinion 40 in the counterclockwise direction shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 15 via the worm 43, the worm wheel 42, and the rotating shaft 39.
Both geared cables 31 guided by the geared cables 31 are sent into both guide rails 8 in synchronization with each other, and the left and right sliding members 14 are raised in synchronization with each other.
Furthermore, by rotating the pinion 40 in the clockwise direction shown by the broken line arrow in FIG. can be done.

In addition, one or both of the left and right sliding members 1
A limit switch (not shown) is installed on the guide rail 8 to operate when the limit switch 4 reaches the upper limit position shown in FIG. 3 and the lower limit position shown in FIG.
It is preferable that the limit switches are provided in other parts, and the operation of the motor 44 is controlled by the operation of these limit switches so that the sliding member 14 does not move beyond that range.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and 13, a lock is provided on the inner surface of the sliding member 13 to lock the sliding member 13 to the guide rail 8 at the upper limit position and stop it independently. A mechanism 45 is provided.

The locking mechanism 45 is connected to the hanging piece 13b of the sliding member 13.
The intermediate portion is pivotally attached to the inner surface of the
and an upwardly directed hook portion 48 formed at the rear lower end.
a engages with the notch 47 formed at the key point of the overhanging piece 8d in the guide rail 8,
a seesaw-type locking lever 48 configured to prevent movement of the sliding member 13 along the guide rail 8;
A spring 4 is wound around the shaft 46 and urges the locking lever 48 in the clockwise direction in FIG.
9 is pivotally attached to the side surface of the hook portion 48a of the locking lever 48 with a shaft 50, and can be engaged with the notch 47 together with the hook portion 48a.
When the guide rail 8a is removed from the notch 47, the guide rail 8 is provided with a roller 51 that can roll along the projecting piece 8d.

An engagement hole 52 is formed in the upper front end of the locking lever 48. The engagement hole 52 is an elongated hole whose long axis faces in the same direction as the guide rail 8.

On the sliding member 14 side, when the sliding member 14 descends to the intermediate position shown in FIGS. 4 and 11, the locking state of the locking mechanism 45 is released, and
An unlocking and connecting mechanism 53 is provided to connect the sliding member 14 and the sliding member 13 to each other.

This mechanism 53 includes a hanging piece 14b of the sliding member 14.
a release plate 55 having a base 55a fixed to the lower end thereof with a set screw 54, and a tongue piece 55b extending rearward and downward from the base 55a along the overhanging piece 8d of the guide rail 8; A connecting pin 5 is provided that projects downward from the front upper part of the tongue piece 55b of the release plate 55 and is fittable into the engagement hole 52 of the locking lever 48.
6.

According to this mechanism 53, when the sliding member 14 is lowered to the intermediate position, the tip of the tongue piece 55b of the release plate 55 is connected to the lower end of the locking lever 48 and the guide rail 8.
The locking lever 48 is wedged between the overhanging piece 8d and
10 and 1 against the biasing force of the spring 49.
As the locking lever 48 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the hook portion 48a and the roller 51 are removed from the notch 47, and the locked state between the sliding member 13 and the guide rail 8 is released (FIG. 11 shows that the hook portion 48a and the roller 51 are
(a shows the state at the moment when it leaves the notch 47).
Then, the sliding member 13 descends slightly due to its own weight by the gap S between the upper edge of the engagement hole 52 and the connecting pin 56, and the connecting pin 56 engages with the upper end of the engaging hole 52 and stops. .

At this time, the tip of the tongue piece 55b of the release plate 55 is
Since it is located relatively above between the lower end of the locking lever 48 and the overhanging piece 8d of the guide rail 8,
The hook portion 48a and the roller 51 are in a state where they can be re-engaged with the notch 47, but at this time the sliding member 1
Since the hook portion 48a etc. are located slightly below the notch 47 by the amount of the above-mentioned downward movement due to the weight of No. 3,
The hook portion 48a etc. will not engage with the notch 47 again.

At this time, due to the engagement between the connecting pin 56 and the engagement hole 52 of the locking lever 48, both the sliding members 13, 14
are connected to each other, and when the sliding member 14 is further lowered from the intermediate position by the drive device 35,
The sliding member 13 is also lowered together with the sliding member 14, and can reach the lower limit position shown in FIGS. 5 and 8.

When the sliding member 14 is raised from the lower limit position to the intermediate position, the hook portion 48a of the locking lever 48 and the roller 51 first engage with the notch 47 due to the biasing force of the spring 49, and the sliding member 14 is raised from the lower limit position to the intermediate position. As the moving member 13 is locked to the guide rail 8, the locking lever 48 is rotated clockwise in FIG. The connection between 13 and 14 is broken, and thereafter only the sliding member 14 is independently raised to the upper limit position.

During this time, the tip of the tongue piece 55b of the release plate 55 is located above the lower end of the locking lever 48, as described above, so that the clockwise rotation of the locking lever 48 in FIG. 11 is prevented. It is not obstructed by the tongue piece 55b.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 13, the sliding member 1
In order to allow the upper and lower shafts 18 and 19 provided on the third side to slide in the left-right direction as one unit with respect to each bearing sleeve 15 and 16, support is provided at the inner end of each shaft 18 and 19. The outer portions of the pivot portions of the links 21 and 22 are connected to each other by being fixed to each end of a connecting rod 57 parallel to the center line L with set screws 58, and are connected to each other by fixing screws 58.
The outer end of the guide rod 59 is parallel to the guide rail 8.
They are connected to each other by being fixed to the middle part and the lower end part of the two parts with setscrews 58, respectively.

Moreover, the sliding member 14 descends to the intermediate position,
After being connected to the sliding member 13, the shaft 20 on the sliding member 14 side slides in the left-right direction integrally with each shaft 18, 19 on the sliding member 13 side. A groove 60 is provided at the end so as to engage with the upper end of the guide rod 59 when the sliding member 14 reaches the intermediate position.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the shaft 20 from accidentally sliding left and right while the sliding member 14 reaches the intermediate position from the upper limit position, the shaft 20 is prevented from engaging the guide rod 59. A locking mechanism 61 for 20 is provided.

As clearly shown in FIG. 12, the locking mechanism 6
1 is provided with a lock pin 63 provided in the middle part of the shaft 20 so as to be able to freely protrude and retract from the outer periphery of the shaft 20 toward the guide rail 8 side, and to be constantly biased in the direction of protrusion by a compression spring 26. Cage, axis 2
0 is located at its outermost position, the lock pin 63 protrudes and comes into contact with the outer end surface of the bearing sleeve 17, thereby preventing the shaft 20 from moving inward. . Note that 64 in FIG. 12 is a key for preventing rotation of the shaft 20.

Reference numeral 65 denotes a lock release mechanism for releasing the locking state of the lock mechanism 61, which includes a rectangular cylindrical casing 66 parallel to the guide rail 8 provided on the outer surface of the hanging piece 14b of the sliding member 14; An inclined surface 6 that is slidably inserted into the casing 66 and protrudes from the upper end of the casing 66 to allow the tip of the lock pin 63 to sink into the shaft 20.
7a, which is connected to the lower end of the lock release lever 67, and is connected to the casing 6.
An actuating rod 68 protrudes downward from the lower end of the casing 6 parallel to the guide rail 8, and is compressed between the lower end of the actuating rod 68 and the lower end of the casing 66, and is connected to the actuating rod 68 and the lock release rod 67. It consists of a compression spring 69 that biases downward.

This lock release mechanism 65 allows the sliding member 14 to
has descended to just before the intermediate position, and after the upper end of the guide rod 59 has barely engaged with the groove 60 of the shaft 20,
The lower end of the actuating rod 68 comes into contact with the protrusion 70 provided on the outer surface of the upper end of the sliding member 13, and as the sliding member 14 is subsequently lowered to the intermediate position, the lock releasing rod 67 is released together with the actuating rod 68 into the casing 66.
The inclined surface 67a
Then, the tip of the locking pin 63 is inserted into the shaft 20, and the locking state of the locking mechanism 61 is released.

Thereafter, while the sliding member 14 is connected to the sliding member 13 and descends from the intermediate position to the lower limit position,
The unlocked state is maintained, and the auxiliary mechanism 7 to be described later
1, the shaft 20 is moved inward together with the shafts 18 and 19, and the lock pin 63 is
As shown by the imaginary line in the figure, it enters into the bearing sleeve 17.

When the sliding member 14 rises from the lower limit position to the intermediate position, the lock pin 63 is returned to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Therefore, the tip of the lock pin 63 remains recessed in the shaft 20, and only when the sliding member 14 rises slightly from the intermediate position does the lock pin 63 protrude and return to the original locked state, after which it is activated. The lower end of the rod 68 is separated from the projection 70.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 9 and 14, the auxiliary mechanism 71 includes a sliding member 1 along the guide rail 8.
3 from the upper limit position to the lower limit position, and in synchronization with the rise in the opposite direction, the shafts 18, 19, 20
It is a device for moving inward and outward as a unit, and both ends are fixed to the connecting rod 57 and the guide rod 59, respectively, and parallel to each axis 18, 19, and has teeth 72a at the upper limit. a rack plate 72; a pinion 74 which is pivotally supported with a shaft 73 in the middle part of the hanging piece 13b of the sliding member 13 so as to mesh with the teeth 72a of the rack plate 72;
The sliding member 13 is fitted into the cable guide groove 11 of the guide rail 81 over at least the entire length of the movement range, and one or both ends are fixed to the guide rail 8 with an appropriate stopper (not shown). By doing so, a geared cable 75 similar to the geared cable 31 described above acts as a rack integrated with the guide rail 8, and a shaft 76 is attached to the hanging piece 13b of the sliding member 13 so as to constantly mesh with the geared cable 75. and intermediate gears 78 and 79 that appropriately reduce the rotational force of the pinion 77 and transmit it to the pinion 74.
It is equipped with

The reduction ratio of the gear mechanism from the pinion 77 to the pinion 74 via the intermediate gears 78 and 79 is such that the rack plate 72 is As shown in Figure 9, this is the angle (acute angle) between the central axis of the guide rail 8 and the central axis of the shaft 19, etc.)
The value is set such that it moves inwardly with respect to the sliding member 13.

This auxiliary mechanism 71 allows the sliding member 13 to move downward from the upper limit position to the lower limit position.
Due to the relative movement between 3 and geared cable 75,
The pinion 77 is rotated, and its rotational force is transmitted to the pinion 74 via the intermediate gears 78 and 79, and the rotation of the pinion 74 causes the rack plate 7 to
2 and shafts 18, 19, 20 are moved together inwardly relative to the sliding member 13 in the relationship as described above.

Also, while the sliding member 13 is rising from the lower limit position to the upper limit position, the pinions 77, 74 and the intermediate gears 78, 79 are rotated in the opposite direction to the above case, and the rack plate 72 and the shafts 18, 19 are rotated. , 20, etc., with respect to the sliding member 13, contrary to the above case,
be moved outwards.

As a result, each shaft 18,
The support links 21, 22 and 19, 20 are always maintained at a constant position in the left and right direction with respect to the back door 2, and the support links 21, 22 and It is possible to prevent the pivoting portions of the auxiliary link 30 to the respective shafts 18, 19, and 20 from shifting in the left-right direction with respect to the back door 2.

In this embodiment, the geared cable 31
and the cable drive mechanism 35, the sliding member 14
a driving means 8 for moving the along the guide rail 8;
This, the locking mechanism 45, and the unlocking and connecting mechanism 53 constitute a driving means 81 for moving the sliding member 13 along the guide rail 8. , each sliding member 1
A driving device 82 for moving the parts 3 and 14 is configured.

However, this drive device 82 can be modified by any method as long as it can move the sliding member 14 independently from the upper limit position to the intermediate position, and integrally with the sliding member 13 from the intermediate position to the lower limit position. It may have a similar configuration.

Next, the overall operation of this embodiment will be explained.

When the window glass 6 is located at the fully closed position, both the sliding members 13 and 14 are located at their upper limit positions. At this time, the sliding member 13
is locked to the guide rail 8 by a locking mechanism 45, and is prevented from descending or rising.

From this state, the cable drive mechanism 35
When each geared cable 31 in each guide rail 8 is pulled down and the left and right sliding members 14 are lowered from the upper limit position to the intermediate position in synchronization with each other, both support links 2
1 and 22 are stood up, and the window glass 6
reaches the intermediate position shown in FIGS. 4 and 7.

Just before the sliding member 14 reaches the intermediate position,
The shaft 20 is prevented from moving in the left-right direction at the outermost position with respect to the sliding member 14 by the action of the lock mechanism 61.

When the sliding member 14 descends to just before the intermediate position, the groove 60 of the shaft 20 barely engages with the upper end of the guide rod 59, and then the lower end of the actuating rod 68 of the lock release mechanism 65 engages with the stopped slide. The locking mechanism 61 comes into contact with the protrusion 70 of the moving member 13.
The lock state caused by the lock is released.

Further, just before the sliding member 14 reaches the intermediate position, the tongue piece 55b of the release plate 55 wedges between the lower end of the locking lever 48 and the overhang piece 8d of the guide rail 8, and the connecting pin 56 Due to the engagement of the locking lever 8 with the locking lever 8, both the sliding members 13 and 14 are connected to each other, and the hook portion 48a of the locking lever 48 and the roller 51 are separated from the notch 47, and the guide rail 8 The locked state of the sliding member 13 is released, and the sliding member 13 and the sliding member 14 can descend together.

From this state, when the geared cables 31 on the left and right guide rails 8 are further pulled down and the left and right sliding members 14 are lowered from the intermediate position to the lower limit position in synchronization with each other, the sliding members 13
remains connected to the sliding member 14 and is lowered together to the lower limit position.

As the sliding member 13 descends, the pinion 77 that meshes with the geared cable 75 that is substantially integrated with the guide rail 8 is rotated, and its rotational force is transmitted to the pinion 74.

This rotation of the pinion 74 causes the rack plate 72 to
The connecting rod 57, guide rod 59, shafts 18, 19, 20, etc. that are integrated therewith slide by the same amount as the amount of lateral movement relative to the back door 2 when the sliding member 13 is lowered along the guide rail 8. are moved inwardly relative to the members 13 so that they
Although the sliding members 13 and 14 descend diagonally downward along the guide rail 8, they descend directly below the back door 2 in parallel to the center line L.

As a result, the window glass 6, the support link 2
1, 22, the auxiliary link 30, etc., while maintaining the intermediate position shown in FIGS.
It reaches the fully open position shown in FIGS.

When the sliding member 14 reaches the lower limit position, a limit switch (not shown) is activated to stop the operation of the motor 44 in the cable drive mechanism 35, and the window glass 6 is maintained at the fully open position.

From this state, when the motor 44 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above case, both sliding members 13 and 14 are raised together to the upper limit position and the intermediate position, almost in the opposite direction to the above case. ,During,
By means of the auxiliary mechanism 71, the shafts 18, 19, and 20 are moved outwardly relative to the sliding member 13 in unison with each other, and the window glass 6 is raised to an intermediate position while maintaining its posture.

When the sliding member 14 reaches the intermediate position, the sliding member 13 is locked to the guide rail 8 by the locking mechanism 45, and the connection with the sliding member 13 is released, and the sliding member 13 is no longer slidable. Only member 14 is individually raised to the upper limit position.

During this time, the tongue piece 55b of the release plate 55 is moved from the locking lever 48 to the operating rod 6 of the lock release mechanism 65.
8 from the projection 70, and the groove 60 of the shaft 20 from the upper end of the guide rod 59, and the shaft 20 is moved away from the sliding member 14 at the outermost position by the locking mechanism 61.
window glass 6.
The support links 21 and 22 by the auxiliary link 30
As a result of the folding rotation, it is returned to the original fully closed position shown in FIGS. 3 and 6.

When the sliding member 14 reaches the upper limit position, a limit switch (not shown) is activated, and the motor 44 is activated.
operation is stopped, and the window glass 6 is maintained in the fully closed position.

As is clear from the above, in this embodiment, a bearing tube 17, which is a bearing portion of the sliding member 14, is provided at the intermediate portion of the shaft 20, which pivotally supports the auxiliary link 30, by protruding from the outer circumference of the shaft 20. A lock pin 63 that can engage with the end of the shaft 20 to prevent the shaft 20 from sliding in the lateral direction is provided so as to be freely protrusive and retractable from the outer periphery of the shaft 20 and always biased in the direction of protrusion. Both sliding members 13, 1 are attached to the sliding member 14.
4 are close to each other, the lock pin 63
By providing the lock release mechanism 65 which can release the locked state of the shaft 20 by sinking the shaft into the shaft 20, the invention can produce the effects described later.

According to the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned embodiments,
Many variations are possible, such as:

(b) In the above embodiment, the lock release mechanism 65
Instead, for example, something similar to the lock release lever 67 is fixed to the sliding member 13 side, and both sliding members 1
3 and 14 come close to each other, the tip of the lock pin 63 is made to sink into the shaft 20 by the inclined surface (corresponding to 67a) at the tip.

(b) In the above-described embodiment, the lock mechanism 61 and the lock release mechanism 65 are configured to restrict or release the lateral movement of the shaft 20 with respect to the sliding member 14. Alternatively, or in addition to this, the lateral movement of each shaft 18, 19 with respect to the sliding member 13 is restrained or released by a locking mechanism and a locking mechanism having similar configurations. Good too. This has the advantage that the pivot parts of the support links 21 and 22 can be reliably prevented from shifting in the lateral direction when the window glass 6 is opened and closed from the fully closed position to the intermediate position.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention has the above-described structure and produces the above-described effects, any one of the shafts supporting the link mechanism may accidentally move laterally with respect to the sliding member when it is not desirable. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the mutual positional relationship of each member from shifting in the lateral direction from a predetermined value, thereby facilitating smooth operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of an automobile equipped with the device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the back door seen from the rear, and FIG.
FIG. 4, which is a longitudinal side view taken along line A and shows the window glass in the fully closed position, also shows the following:
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the window glass in the intermediate position, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the window glass in the fully open position. FIG. 6 is a plan view of FIG. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the one in Fig. 4 seen from above, Fig. 8 is a plan view of the one in Fig. 5 seen from above, and Fig. 9 is a plan view of B in Fig. 3.
- The enlarged view from line B, Figure 10, is C of Figure 9.
11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line -C; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 10, showing a state when the upper sliding member has been lowered to an intermediate position from the state shown in FIG.
12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 9, FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line E-E in FIG. 9, and FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 9. FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 3. 1...Vehicle body, 2...Back door, 3...Window hole,
5...Frame, 6...Window glass, 7...
...Opening/closing device, 8... Guide rail, 9... Guide groove, 13, 14... Sliding member, 18, 19, 20
... shaft, 21, 22 ... support link (link mechanism), 30 ... auxiliary link (link mechanism), 31,
75... Geared cable, 35... Cable drive mechanism, 44... Motor, 45... Locking mechanism, 4
7... Notch, 48... Lock lever, 52... Engagement hole, 53... Lock release and connection mechanism, 55...
Release plate, 56... Connection pin, 59... Guide rod, 6
0... Concave groove, 61... Lock mechanism, 63... Lock pin, 65... Lock release mechanism, 67... Lock release rod, 68... Operating rod, 71... Auxiliary mechanism, 72... Rack plate, 74 , 77... Pinion, 80, 81... Drive means, 82... Drive device, L... Center line.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A plurality of sliding members are slidably attached to each of a pair of guide rails fixed to both sides of the frame so as to spread out in a V-shape across the longitudinal center line of the vehicle body. Attach it to each sliding member.
A shaft pointing in a lateral direction perpendicular to the center line is mounted so as to be slidable in the lateral direction, and the shaft is used to pivot a link mechanism supporting each side of the window glass, and each of the shafts is attached to each side of the window glass. In an automobile rear window opening/closing device that is capable of absorbing fluctuations in the left-right distance when each sliding member moves along a guide rail by sliding in the lateral direction with respect to the sliding member, A lock pin protruding from the outer periphery of the shaft and capable of preventing the shaft from sliding in the lateral direction by engaging with the end of the bearing portion of the sliding member to which the shaft is attached. is provided such that it can freely move in and out from the outer periphery of the shaft and is always biased in the direction of protrusion, and both sliding members approach one of the vertically adjacent sliding members. 1. A rear window opening/closing device for an automobile, comprising a lock release mechanism capable of releasing a locked state of the shaft by sinking a lock pin into the shaft.