Flush glass apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11660947-B2
Application number	US-202017036020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2020
Priority date	Feb 10, 2020
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

A flush glass apparatus includes an operation glass including a glass portion and a frame and configured to open and close an opening of a fixed glass, an upper rail having an upper guide groove configured to slidably support an upper portion of the operation glass, a lower rail having a lower guide groove configured to slidably support a lower portion of the operation glass, a locking device including an upper locking pin and a lower locking pin installed on upper and lower sides of the frame, respectively, to enter the upper and lower guide grooves, respectively, and lock or unlock the operation glass, and upper and lower removal guide members installed on the upper rail and the lower rail, respectively, and configured to guide the upper and lower locking pins to be removed from the upper and lower guide grooves by entering the upper or lower guide grooves.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flush glass apparatus comprising:
an operation glass comprising a glass portion and a frame and configured to open and close an opening of a fixed glass;
an upper rail having an upper guide groove configured to slidably support an upper portion of the operation glass;
a lower rail having a lower guide groove configured to slidably support a lower portion of the operation glass;
a locking device comprising an upper locking pin and a lower locking pin installed on upper and lower sides of the frame, respectively, to enter the upper guide groove and the lower guide groove, respectively, and lock or unlock the operation glass by ascending or descending; and
upper and lower removal guide members installed on the upper rail and the lower rail, respectively, and configured to guide the upper and lower locking pins to be removed from the upper and lower guide grooves by entering the upper or lower guide grooves.

2. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the upper and lower removal guide members are slidably installed on the upper and lower rails, respectively, to be deviated from the upper and lower guide grooves or enter the upper and lower guide grooves, and
the upper and lower removal guide members each comprise an inclined guide surface for guiding the removal of the upper or lower locking pins.

3. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the upper and lower removal guide members are installed to be movable in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the upper and lower guide grooves, and
the upper and lower removal guide members each comprise an operation protrusion operated by being pushed by a user.

4. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the upper and lower removal guide members are installed to be movable in a direction crossing a longitudinal direction of the upper and lower guide grooves,
the upper and lower removal guide members comprise operation protrusions respectively, and
the operation protrusion of the upper removal guide member is exposed under the upper rail, and the operation protrusion of the lower removal guide member is exposed over the lower rail.

5. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the locking device comprises:
an operation handle installed on a vertical middle portion of the frame to be able to rotate left and right and configured to be restored to an original state by a restoration spring;
an upper lifting member installed on the upper side of the frame and comprising an upper cam groove and the upper locking pin;
an upper operation shaft having a lower side connected to the operation handle and an upper side entering the upper cam groove, and comprising an upper protrusion extending radially in the upper cam groove;
an upper spring configured to move the upper lifting member by pressing upward;
a lower lifting member installed on the lower side of the frame and comprising a lower cam groove and the lower locking pin;
a lower operation shaft having an upper side connected to the operation handle and a lower side entering the lower cam groove and comprising a lower protrusion extending radially in the lower cam groove; and
a lower spring configured to move the lower lifting member by pressing downward.

6. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the upper operation shaft is connected to the operation handle by an upper connection shaft having an upper side penetrating a lower portion of the upper lifting member to enter the upper cam groove and a lower side rotatably supported on the frame, and
the lower operation shaft is connected to the operation handle by a lower connection shaft having a lower side penetrating an upper portion of the lower lifting member to enter the lower cam groove and an upper side rotatably supported on the frame.

7. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the upper guide groove and the lower guide groove each comprise:
a curved guide portion configured to induce the upper locking pin or the lower locking pin to the outside so that an outer surface of the operation glass forms the same plane as an outer surface of the fixed glass when the operation glass is completely closed; and
a locking groove recessed deeper upward or downward than the upper guide groove or the lower guide groove so that the upper locking pin or the lower locking pin is caught thereon in a state in which the operation glass is completely closed.

8. The flush glass apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lower guide groove comprises:
a plurality of intermediate locking grooves recessed deeper downward than the lower guide groove at positions spaced apart from each other in a moving direction of the lower locking pin so that the lower locking pin protrudes and is caught thereon in a process of opening the operation glass; and
a locking groove recessed deeper downward than the lower guide groove so that the lower locking pin protrudes and is caught thereon in a state in which the operation glass is completely opened.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Webasto Korea Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Jeong Hyeon
• Gwak Seong Min
• Choi Su Yun

Classifications

• B60J7/057 Primary

  Driving or actuating arrangements (B60J7/047 - B60J7/053 take precedence){e.g. manually operated levers or knobs} · CPC title

• E05Y2201/684

  Rails; Tracks · CPC title

• B60J10/79 Primary

  for flush-glass windows, i.e. for windows flush with the vehicle body or the window frame · CPC title

• B60J7/192

  for locking the sunroof panel to the roof · CPC title

• E05D15/0691

  Top guides · CPC title