Motor vehicle window assembly with defrost

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9688122-B2
Application number	US-201213476430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2012
Priority date	May 20, 2011
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A motor vehicle window assembly, one implementation of which includes a wiper in electrical communication between a defrost grid of a movable window and an elongate conductor of a guide rail assembly having a straight guide portion and an oblique guide portion, and in contact with the elongate conductor when the movable window is in an open position. At least one implementation of the window assembly includes an actuator cable including a core having a terminus coupled to a cable connector portion of the movable window, wherein when the actuator cable is actuated, the movable window moves in a direction extending away from the open position along a plane, toward a closed position out of the plane, and into the closed position in another plane such that the terminus of the core is carried out of the plane by the movable window.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle window assembly, comprising:
a fixed pane having a first defrost grid;
a guide rail assembly including an elongate guide having a straight guide portion and an oblique guide portion that is oblique relative to the straight guide portion and having an elongate conductor in electrical communication with the first defrost grid; and
the guide rail assembly adapted to guide a movable window assembly along an elongate path of travel between a closed position and an open position, the movable window assembly including:
a pane movable relative to the fixed pane along the elongate path of travel between the closed position of the movable window assembly in a first plane and the open position of the movable window assembly in a second plane offset from the first plane and the movable pane having a second defrost grid,
a wiper in electrical communication with both the second defrost grid and the elongate conductor of the guide rail assembly, a follower coupled to the movable pane for movement with the movable pane, wherein the follower engages the elongate guide to guide the movable pane along the elongate path of travel to define the closed position of the movable window assembly in the first plane and the open position of the movable window assembly in the second plane, and wherein the wiper is disposed within the elongate guide mounted on the follower, disposed between the follower and the elongate conductor, and biased into contact with the elongate conductor to maintain the electrical communication between the second defrost grid and the elongate conductor throughout movement of the movable pane along the elongate path of travel.

2. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the guide rail assembly comprises an upper guide rail assembly, the wiper comprises a first wiper, and the elongate conductor comprises a first elongate conductor, the motor vehicle window assembly further comprises:
a lower guide rail assembly,
wherein the fixed pane has a third defrost grid, and the upper guide rail assembly includes a second elongate conductor in electrical communication with the third defrost grid, and
wherein the movable window assembly is guided by the guide rail assemblies and includes:
a second follower coupled to the movable pane so that the followers move with the movable pane, wherein the elongate guide and the followers cooperate to guide the movable pane along the elongate path of travel, and
a second wiper disposed on said second follower and being in electrical communication with the second defrost grid and the second elongate conductor, and the second wiper being in contact with the second elongate conductor when the movable window assembly is in the open and being closed positions and in contact with the second elongate conductor along at least a portion of the second elongate conductor when the movable window assembly travels along the elongate path of travel,

wherein the first wiper wipes across the first elongate conductor and the second wiper wipes across the second elongate conductor when the movable window assembly travels along the elongate path of travel, and wherein continuous electrical communication is provided between the first and third defrost grids through the second defrost grid when the movable window assembly is in the open position, the closed position or positioned there between.

3. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 wherein the wiper is a cantilevered wiper disposed between the follower and the elongate conductor and is biased into contact with the elongate conductor.

4. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 3 wherein the follower includes a hub to which an end of the cantilevered wiper is fixed and includes a cam spaced from the hub the cantilevered wiper terminates at a free end which is in contact with the elongate conductor, and the movable window assembly further comprises a window assembly conductor extending between the cantilevered wiper and the second defrost grid, and wherein the follower includes an intermediate portion connecting the hub and the cam, and the intermediate portion includes an aperture through which the window assembly conductor extends.

5. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongate guide includes a track, and the elongate conductor follows the elongate path of travel.

6. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongate path of travel includes a component along a first axis and a component along a second axis transverse to the first axis as the movable pane moves in and between the first and second planes, and the elongate conductor is spaced apart from the movable pane in a direction extending away from the fixed pane along a third axis that is transverse to the first axis and the second axis and is oriented generally orthogonally with respect to the elongate conductor.

7. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 6 wherein the movable window assembly includes a structural support that bounds at least a portion of the movable pane, and wherein the wiper is a cantilevered wiper that includes a fixed end in electrical communication with the second defrost grid and a free end biased into contact with the elongate conductor.

8. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 7 wherein the elongate guide includes a curved portion, and the elongate conductor has a curved portion that corresponds to the curved portion of the elongate guide to allow the wiper of the movable window assembly to maintain electrical communication with the elongate conductor as the movable window assembly moves along the elongate path of travel.

9. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wiper is cantilevered to the follower.

10. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the follower includes an aperture to receive a wire extending through the aperture.

11. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 , which includes a cam that contacts the elongate guide for moving the wiper with respect to the movable pane.

12. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the follower includes a fixed end coupled to the movable pane and a free end, and the wiper is disposed on the free end of the follower.

13. The motor vehicle window assembly of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the follower and the wiper rotate relative to the movable pane as the movable pane moves along the elongate path of travel.

14. A motor vehicle window assembly, comprising:
a fixed pane having a first defrost grid, a fixed conductor in electrical communication with the first defrost grid, and a guide rail, wherein the conductor has a straight portion and an oblique portion that is oblique relative to the straight portion and the guide rail has a straight portion and an oblique portion that is oblique relative to the straight portion of the guide rail;
a movable pane guided by the guide rail for movement between a closed position in a first plane and a fully open position in a second plane offset from the first plane, and a second defrost grid carried by the movable pane, wherein the oblique portion of the guide rail causes movement of the movable pane between the first plane and second plane as the movable pane moves between the fully open position and the closed position; and
a movable conductor in electrical communication with the second defrost grid and the fixed conductor and movable with the movable pane and relative to the fixed conductor when the movable pane is moved between the fully open position and the closed position, and the movable conductor includes a contact portion which is in, sliding co

Assignees

• Gipson Ronnie G
• Sharron Scott S
• Keck Ii Kenneth E
• Steiner Walter J
• Putumbaka Ramakrishna
• Dura Operating Llc

Inventors

• Gipson Ronnie G
• Sharron Scott S
• Keck Ii Kenneth E
• Steiner Walter J
• Putumbaka Ramakrishna

Classifications

• H05B2203/016

  Heaters using particular connecting means · CPC title

• H05B3/84

  Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields · CPC title

• B60S1/026

  using electrical means · CPC title

• B60J1/1853 Primary

  horizontally in direction transverse to vehicle longitudinal axis · CPC title