Abstract:
A driving apparatus is disclosed for driving a driven device such as a lifting mechanism (8) for moving up and down a windowpane (9). The driving apparatus comprises a motor (5) including a rotating shaft (13), and an output unit (6; 80) coupled to the motor. The output unit comprises a decelerating mechanism (42, 43, 56; 56, 92) for decelerating the rotation of the rotating shaft. A clutch (21; 71; 81; 200; 300) is located between the rotating shaft and the decelerating mechanism. The clutch allows transmission of rotation from the rotating shaft to the decelerating mechanism, and blocks transmission of rotation from the decelerating mechanism to the rotating shaft. The clutch located between the rotating shaft and the decelerating mechanism is not applied with a large load. For this reason, the strength required for the clutch can be reduced to provide the clutch in a smaller size.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a drivable flap hinge for connecting a flap such as a front hood or a trunk lid, to a body of an automobile in an articulated manner. Said drivable hinge comprises a first retaining part (2) for fixing to the flap, a second retaining part (3) for fixing to the body, at least one connecting member (6) which is pivotably arranged on at least one of the two retaining parts (2, 3) with a joint (8, 9); and a driving motor (16) which is drive-connected to a joint pin (17) of the joint (8). The invention provides a flap hinge which advantageously enables a front gate or tail gate of an automobile to pivot in a driven manner as a result of the driven joint pin (17) connecting the first retaining part (2) and the connecting member (6).
Abstract:
A guidance assembly (28) guides a door (22) to a cabinet (10) while it is moved between an open position, in which access to an interior chamber is provided through an opening (16) in the cabinet, and a closed position, in which the door covers the opening. The guidance assembly includes two pivotable support members (90, 92) which are pivotally connected to the door. The pivotable support members each include a roller (110, 112) which rolls along a horizontal rail (80) mounted to an exterior wall (18) of the cabinet, adjacent an upper end of the opening. A door positioning system (130), comprising upper and lower door positioners (132, 134, 136), maintains a space between the door the cabinet during opening and closing the door. This prevents damage to the door and the exterior wall of the cabinet and to a sealing member (70) disposed between the door and the cabinet. As the door moves inward or outward, the pivotable support members pivot relative to the front face (46) of the door and U-shaped portions (142, 160) the door positioners flex to relieve any stresses placed on the rollers.
Abstract:
A cable drive for a motor vehicle having a body and a door slidable outside the body has a rotatable shaft projecting through the body and having an outer end outside the vehicle adjacent the door and an inside end inside the vehicle. A drum outside the vehicle is mounted on the outside end and a cable wholly outside the vehicle is wound around the drum and connected to the door so that rotation of the drum and shaft in one direction slides the door into a closed position and opposite movement slides it into an open position. A motor unit wholly inside the vehicle is connected to the inside shaft end to rotate the shaft.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for editing continuous tone digital images representing pixels in which regions containing defects, called "defect regions", are unnoticeable or less visually discernible. Corrected pixel data for pixels in the defect region, called defect pixels, in the digital image are provided while data representing non-defect pixels outside of the defect region are not altered. These digital images may have one color channel (gray side) or multiple color channels. The apparatus and method includes a computer system which operates according to a set of instructions.
Abstract:
A door and doorway construction includes a doorway structure having a lock jamb, a hinge jamb, and a header defining a doorway opening. An adjustable door is constructed to fit mateably into the doorway opening. The doorway structure includes an overhead expressway construction configured to structurally support a weight of the door and further adapted to carry utilities over the doorway opening. The doorway structure is vertically adjustable to align the expressway construction with adjacent wall units, which results in size changes in the doorway opening, and the door is adjustable to define an adjustable vertical height shaped to fill the doorway opening despite the size changes. In one form the door is pivoted to the doorway structure with hinges located above and below the door and at a centerline of the door. In another form, the door is slidably mounted to the doorway structure by a door-supporting boom that includes a trolley rollingly supported by the doorway structure and a downrigger that is rigidly supported on the trolley. The downrigger pivotally supports the door, and the trolley includes a breakaway latch such that the door can be broken away and pivoted outwardly if the door is pressed on with sufficient force. Additional illustrated door embodiments include a solid wood door and a floor-to-ceiling door that incorporate the above features.
Abstract:
A tailgate is hinged to a passenger van type vehicle body above a substantially vertical rear access opening for swinging movement about a horizontal hinge axis. The tailgate is counterbalanced through its range of movement by spring devices and is opened and closed by a powered actuator mounted on a rear vehicle body pillar. The actuator includes a reversible electric motor driving a worm shaft that drives a worm gear to pivot a crankarm about an axis parallel to the hinge axis. A roller mounted on the crankarm is received in a guide channel that is fixed to the tailgate and extends at right angles to the hinge axis with the pivoting movement of the crankarm thereby translated into swinging tailgate opening and closing movement. The motor is connected with torque sensing circuitry that detects an excessive motor torque demand when the tailgate encounters an obstacle and stops the motor. A normally engaged clutch maintains drive connection between the worm gear and the crankarm to effect normal tailgate opening and closing by the motor and slips to allow manually applied force on the tailgate to open and close same when the motor is not operating.
Abstract:
A power drive moves a movable closure between an open position and a closed position with respect to a portal defining a passage through a barrier. The power drive can include an elongated drive member connected to the movable closure and a ball nut drive assembly for selectively moving the drive member longitudinally to position the movable closure between the open position and the closed position with respect to the passage through the barrier. The barrier can define at least a portion of a stationary structure or a vehicle, where the passage allows access within the structure or the vehicle. The movable closure can include a sliding door, hatch, window, or roof panel. The elongated drive member can be a flexible, wire wound push/pull cable having at least one wire member helically wound in uniformly spaced turns around a core of the push/pull cable to form a screw member capable of being driven by operable engagement with the recirculating ball nut drive assembly.
Abstract:
A door is mounted within a doorway to be pivotal about a pivot axis disposed close to and along one of side surfaces of the doorway to selectively open and close the doorway. A guide roller protrudes toward the upper surface of the doorway from the upper edge of the door at a location remote from the location of the pivot axis when the door is closed. A guide rail extends along the length of the upper surface of the doorway for guiding the guide roller along the length of the upper surface of the doorway. The guide rail is pivotal about the pivot axis. Means is provided to disengageably engage the guide rail with the upper surface of the doorway.
Abstract:
This device comprises mechanical link including a pawl (25) establishing a rigid drive link between a driving input member (2) and an output member (22), interacting with a prestressed element (31) which tends to hold the pawl in connection with the driving input member or with the driven output member, for so long as the force transmitted by the pawl remains below a predetermined value; this system automatically interrupts the kinematic drive chain of the movable member in the case of a force exceeding a predetermined value. This arrangement makes the device practically insensitive to friction and eliminates the uncertainty on the threshold of the triggering force.