Window regulator module having carrier plate forcing arculate rails to acquire helical twist

Abstract

In an aspect, a window regulator module kit is provided, comprising a guide rail having substantially no helical twist, a carrier plate having a selected mounting arrangement configured to bring the guide rail to a selected helically twisted position when the guide rail is mounted to the carrier plate, a lifter mountable to the guide rail, wherein the lifter is configured to hold a window glass, and a cable drive assembly connectable to the lifter so as to slide the lifter along the arcuate rail.

1 . A method of manufacturing a window regulator module for moving a window glass between open and closed positions in a vehicle door, comprising:
 a) providing a guide rail having a rest position with substantially no helical twist;   b) providing a carrier plate having a selected mounting arrangement configured to bring the guide rail to take on and hold a selected helically twisted position by exerting a twisting force on the guide rail by the carrier plate;   c) mounting the guide rail to the carrier plate, in order to take on and holds the guide rail in the selected helically twisted position;   d) mounting a lifter to the guide rail, wherein the lifter is configured to hold the window glass; and   e) connecting a cable drive assembly to the lifter to permit driving of the lifter along the guide rail.   
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining the selected helically twisted position for the guide rail;   g) determining a target position for the carrier plate for holding the guide rail in the selected helically twisted position;   h) determining an at least approximate amount of deflection that the carrier plate undergoes when holding the guide rail in the selected helically twisted position and resisting restoring forces in the guide rail;   i) determining a rest position for the carrier plate, from which the carrier plate is deflected by the guide rail to at least approximately reach the target position, based on the at least approximate amount of deflection determined in step h),   wherein the carrier plate provided in step b) has the rest position determined in step i).   
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 j) providing a virtual model of the guide rail in a rest position that is the selected helically twisted position;   k) providing a virtual model of the carrier plate in a rest position wherein the virtual model of the carrier plate is configured to connect to the virtual model of the guide rail in a rest position in which the virtual model of the guide rail is not helically twisted;   l) virtually mounting the virtual model of the guide rail provided in step j) to the virtual model of the carrier plate provided in step k);   m) determining an amount of deflection that is incurred by the virtual model of the carrier plate as a result of a virtual restoring force urging the virtual model of the guide rail towards the selected helically twisted position after step l),   wherein in step h) the at least approximate amount of deflection is determined based on the amount of deflection determined in step m).   
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein steps h) and i) together include:
 n) providing a preliminarily estimated amount of deflection that the carrier plate undergoes when holding the guide rail in the selected helically twisted position and resisting restoring forces in the guide rail, based on the amount of deflection determined in step m);   o) providing the virtual model of the carrier plate having a rest position that is preliminarily estimated based on the preliminarily estimated amount of deflection in step n);   p) providing the virtual model of the guide rail having a rest position in which the virtual model of the guide rail is not helically twisted;   q) virtually mounting the virtual model of the guide rail provided in step o) to the virtual model of the carrier plate provided in step p);   r) determining a difference between a position of the virtual model of the guide rail resulting from step q) and the selected helically twisted position;   s) determining the rest position for the carrier plate, from which the carrier plate is deflected by the guide rail to at least approximately reach the target position, based on the current rest position of the virtual model of the carrier plate if the difference is less than a threshold amount;   t) adjusting the rest position of the virtual model of the carrier plate provided in step p) based on the difference determined in step r) if the difference determined in step r) is greater than the threshold amount, and repeating step r) until the difference is less than the threshold amount.   
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the guide rail is made from metal and the carrier plate is made from a polymeric material. 
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the guide rail provided in step a) has a substantially uniform radius of curvature. 
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the guide rail is a first guide rail and wherein step a) further includes providing a second guide rail that is identical to the first guide rail,
 wherein step c) includes mounting the first and second guide rails to the carrier plate, wherein the carrier plate holds the first and second guide rails in different selected helically twisted positions,   wherein the lifter is a first lifter and step d) includes mounting the first lifter to the first guide rail and further includes mounting a second lifter to the second guide rail,   and wherein step e) includes connecting the cable drive assembly to the first and second lifters so as to move the first and second lifters along the first and second guide rails.   
     
     
         8 - 11 . (canceled)