Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Other

Brian Hale Staser

Mark Manuel

Danny W Figlioli

Arthur C Stein

Eric Ransford Hansen

Geoffrey Barr

Pamela Lane Codd

Mark A Vickery

Daniel Henry Forrest

Lloyd Walker Rogers, Jr

Ronald James Wilde

Gordon Leroy Cook

Dan William Figlioli

Joseph Frank Carnaghi

Jeffrey Alan Glinter

Mike J Skiba

Brian A Barnes

Robert P Racklyeft

Stephen George Griffin

Rick Mahan

Alfonso Pineda

An automotive door module has a plastic support panel and a plurality of door hardware components mounted thereon as a preassembled unit. The plastic support panel has forward and rearward pairs of upper and lower integrally molded stand-offs that secure forward and rearward rolled section guide rails of a cable operated window regulator without any intervening brackets. The plastic support panel also has an integrally molded handle bracket that rotatably supports a handle that operates a push-pull cable. The plastic support panel also includes an integrally molded bumper stop support that extends from the lower stand-off of one of the pairs of stand-offs through a hole in the guide rail secured to it and supports an annular bumper.

Vehicle door module with support panel having integral stand-offs

An automotive vehicle door has a glass window that is raised and lowered by a window regulator that includes a roller cable assembly ( ). The roller cable assembly ( ) has a rolled section guide rail ( ) and a bracket assembly ( ) at the lower end portion of the glass window that runs on an L-shaped flange ( ) of the guide rail ( ). The roller cable assembly ( ) includes upper and lower roller assemblies ( and ) at the respective upper and lower ends of guide rail ( ) and a cable ( ) that is trained on rollers ( and ) of the roller assemblies and on a drive roller ( ) that is driven by an electric motor ( ). Each roller assembly includes a base ( ) that is slideably attached to the guide rail ( ) and a detachable cap pin ( ) that attaches the guide roller to the base ( ).

Integrated roller cable assembly

A door trim assembly and method for making same for attachment to an inner panel of an automotive vehicle includes a plurality of components and a single carrier formed from a plastic material for attachment to the inner panel of the automotive vehicle and incorporating the plurality of components into the plastic material and a door trim substrate attached to the carrier.

Method of making a door trim assembly

A bell crank assembly is mounted on an automotive door module of a vehicle that includes a panel. The panel supports a door latch assembly that includes a lock mechanism that is operated by a sill button and rod inside the vehicle that is located on the inner or dry side of the panel and moveable vertically with respect to the panel. The lock mechanism is operated by the sill button and rod via a generally horizontal rod that is located on the exterior or wet side of panel. The bell crank assembly connects the sill button rod to the exterior rod through an extruded hole in the panel. The bell crank assembly includes an inboard lever and an outboard lever. The inboard lever has an input end that is attached to the sill button rod and an output end. The output end has a round boss that fits in the extruded hole of the panel with a running fit to provide an axle for pivoting bell crank assembly with respect to panel. The output end has a shaped projection at an outboard end of the round boss that the fits in a matching hole of the outboard lever so that the levers pivot simultaneously. The shaped projection supports a plurality of cantilevered latch arms that have catches at their respective free ends that extend through the matching hole with the catches engaging an outer surface of the outboard lever adjacent the matching hole. The outboard lever has an input end and an output end. The input end of the outboard lever has a round flange that is spaced outwardly of the shaped hole and that engages the outer side of panel outwardly of the extruded hole to form a seal for the extruded hole. The output end is attached to the exterior rod.

Bell crank assembly and kit

A vehicle door panel and method for roll forming the vehicle door panel are provided. The vehicle door panel has an exterior side and an interior side including a number of longitudinal protrusions formed during the roll forming process. The predetermined number of longitudinal protrusions extends inward from the interior side and receives door hardware components. The door hardware components are installed onto the vehicle door panel forming a vehicle door module. The vehicle door module is then attached to the vehicle door.

Roll formed hardware module

A door for an automotive vehicle has an inner metal stamping and an outer metal stamping that are secured together along a perimeter to form a shell that includes an upper window frame and a lower hollow body and a window regulator that is part of a window module that is assembled to the shell. The window module includes a structural belt beam, a drive assembly, a rack, a window pane and a window guide channel. The window guide channel has a front run, a header and a rear run, the window guide channel being attached to structural belt beam so that the front run is attached to a forward end of the belt beam and the rear run is attached to a rearward end of the belt beam. The window pane has a front edge that travels in the front run and a rear edge that travels in the rear run. The rack is disposed in the rear run and attached to the rear edge of the window pane. The drive assembly is mounted in a rearward end portion of the structural belt beam by a bracket that supports a reversible electric motor. A pinion gear that is secured to an output shaft of the reversible electric motor meshes with the rack so that the window pane is raised and lowered by the reversible electric motor. The rack is made of a glass reinforced plastic and the pinion gear is made of a plastic coated powered metal to reduce noise and friction.

Rack and pinion window regulator

A rear window module is designed for the rear window of a truck passenger cab. The rear window module is pre-assembled as a single unit having a housing attaching rigidly to a frame. The housing inserts into the cab from a rear opening. The frame attaches to a peripheral edge of the cab which defines the rear opening. The housing supports a motor actuated pane movement mechanism capable of moving a central pane positioned within the frame in a vertical direction. The rear window module may also include side vents capable of pivoting to an open position.

Vehicle rear window drop glass module

An automotive vehicle has a power operated moveable roof panel that moves between an open position above a fixed roof panel and a closed position behind the fixed roof panel. The moveable roof panel is guided by forward and rearward roller assemblies at each side that travel in respective forward and rearward tracks exclusively. The forward roller assemblies have forward rollers, rearward rollers and guide rollers that cooperate with drops in the forward tracks to push the moveable roof panel down in the closed position. The vehicle has an optional luggage rack and an optional interior partition between the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment that includes a moveable glass panel.

Automotive vehicle having moveable roof panel

A modular vehicle door has a hollow door shell of sheet metal panels that are secured together at their abutting periphery, a crash beam that is attached to hollow door shell so as to extend across the length of the door, and a module that supports several parts of vehicle door that is preassembled and assembled to the hollow door shell as the preassembled module. The hollow door shell has a hinge reinforcement at a forward end and a latch reinforcement at an aft end. The module has a metal support beam that is attached to the hinge reinforcement at one end and to the latch reinforcement at the other end so that the metal support beam extends across the length of the door and forms a box section with the crash beam. The metal support beam has upper and lower channels and the module includes an insert molded carrier that has a plurality of ribs that cooperate with the channels of the metal support beam to increase the torsional ridgidity of the metal support beam. When attached to the door shell, the module improves the crashworthiness of the modular vehicle door.

Modular vehicle door

A vehicle door includes inner and outer panels defining a cavity therebetween. The outer panel has an opening therein for receiving a door latch operating handle. An outside door handle assembly includes a housing and an operating handle movably mounted on the housing. A door module frame for mounting within the door cavity has a door handle support arm extending into proximity with the opening of the door outer panel. A snap retainer is provided acting between the housing of the outside handle assembly and the support arm of the module frame to loosely mount the handle assembly on the module frame so that mounting of the module frame within the door cavity carries the operating handle of the door handle assembly into general alignment with the opening of the door outer panel. An escutcheon is provided for installation onto the outside of the outer panel to surround the opening in the outer panel. A plurality of fasteners are installed through the door handle housing, through apertures provided in the outer panel, and into the escutcheon so that the escutcheon and door handle assembly are attached together with the door outer panel captured therebetween.

Door module with outside door handle

Door trim assembly and method of making same

A vehicle door module including window glass is presented which includes a box section belt having an angled bolt attachment and a double overlap attachment to maintain strength and rigidity of the door assembly. The incorporation of the box section belt to the vehicle door module permits the inclusion of the window glass and various parts of the lift system. The angled bolt attachment provides for efficient load transfer between the belt and the door frame through load sharing face contact and a bolt. The double overlap attachment provides for efficient load transfer through a lap joint and clamping forces provided by a bolt. The double overlap attachment further includes features which facilitate assembly while compensating for manufacturing tolerances and build variability. An embodiment of the double overlap joining includes interlocking ridges which engage to further enhance load transfer capability. The vehicle door module further includes a hardware support cross member, a window and lift system, an inside latch system, wire harness assembly, speaker, and other door components.

Vehicle door module

A window regulator has a lift arm pivoted on the door and rotatable to raise and lower a window between open and closed positions. A lever is carried by the arm and pivotally connected to a gear rack crank. A crank mechanism is provided for turning a pinion gear and the pinion gear meshes with the gear rack. Accordingly, rotation of the pinion gear translates the rack and rotates the lever to pivot the lift arm thereby raising and lowering the window. A swing arm is pivoted on the pinion shaft and carries a roller which engages the rack so that the rack is captured between the roller and the pinion gear to maintain the rack in engagement with the pinion.

A window lift module includes front and rear lift rails, each having a guide block slidably mounted thereon for attachment to a window panel. A drive cable is routed through and between the lift rails and attached to the guide blocks so that motion of the drive cable in one direction will lower the guide blocks along the lift rails and motion of the drive cable in the other direction will raise the guide blocks to raise the window panel. A drive mechanism such as a hand crank or electric motor is mounted on one of the lift rails to move the cable. A structural link has a first end pivotally connected to the front rail and a second end pivotally connected to the rear rail so that the lift rails are interconnected together as a module, but the lift rails may be moved relatively closer together as permitted by pivoting of the structural link and flexure of the drive cable to thereby establish the drive module in a folded and more compact position to enable insertion of the module through a relatively small opening in the door inner panel. The lift rails are then moved relatively further away from one another to their normal operating positions for attachment to the inner panel of the door.

Collapsible window lift module with diagonal structural link

A mounting device is provided for mounting a window regulator drive unit on a molded plastic mounting panel. A plurality of flexible tabs are molded integral with the mounting panel and adapted to engage with the window regulator drive unit to retain the drive unit on the mounting panel. A molded plastic cap is adapted to fit over the drive unit and has integrally molded mounting fingers for engaging with complimentary integrally molded mounting fingers provided on the mounting panel so that rotation of the plastic cap causes inter-engagement of the mounting fingers and the drive unit is captured between the cap and the mounting panel. The cap has slots therein which become engaged with projecting lugs of the flexible tabs upon rotation of the cap relative to the mounting panel so that the flexible tabs become blocked and cannot be disengaged from their respective engagement with the drive unit. In addition, at least one of the mounting fingers has a ramp surface thereon so that the cap progressively wedges the cap into tighter engagement with the mounting panel to further assure retention of the cap on the mounting panel.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Brian Hale Staser