Here's how crank windows work on your old school economy car!
The manually operated windows came on many entry level cars of the past decade. It represented a cost-effective solution to winding down your windows, without the added complication of electronics, motors or gears.
The window regulator is quite simply a 4 bar mechanism, with a pivot in the middle, and two sliders on either end that act like a collapsing scissor.
At the crank, a small gear rotates a 1/4 of a sun dial gear, giving a torque multiplication. This makes it easy for a short rotation of the crank to lift such a heavy window. The dial gear is attached to the main arm that leads up to support the glass.
A torsional spring helps to wind the window up against the force of gravity. It loads itself when winding the window down, giving resistance so the window doesn't just drop.
The door skin on this 2001 Toyota Corolla was cut open to demonstrate how the window mechanism works from the outside of the vehicle.
21 сен 2017
