Slider window assembly with movable panel drive system

1 . A vehicular slider window assembly, the vehicular slider window assembly comprising:

a frame portion having an upper rail and a lower rail;

a fixed window panel that is fixed relative to the frame portion, the fixed window panel at least in part defining an opening;

a movable window panel that is movable along the upper rail and the lower rail, wherein the movable window panel is movable between a closed position, where the movable window panel is disposed at the opening, and an opened position, where the movable window panel is disposed at least partially along the fixed window panel;

a drive system operable to move the movable window panel along a curved path of travel between the opened position and the closed position, wherein the drive system comprises (i) a housing attached at the fixed window panel, (ii) a drive motor disposed in the housing, (iii) a threaded shaft disposed in the housing and rotatably driven by the drive motor, (iv) a connecting element that threadedly receives the threaded shaft and (v) a window connector that is affixed to the movable window panel and that pivotally connects to the connecting element via a ball-and-socket connection;

wherein rotation of the threaded shaft imparts a translational movement of the connecting element in an axial direction along the threaded shaft to move the movable window panel along the curved path of travel between the opened and closed positions;

wherein the movable window panel moves along the curved path of travel in tandem with the translational movement of the connecting element and the window connector;

wherein the window connector is fixedly attached to the movable window panel such that there is no movement between the movable window panel and the window connector; and

wherein, as the connecting element translates in the axial direction along the threaded shaft to move the movable window panel along the curved path of travel, the movable window panel and the window connector pivot relative to the connecting element together and in tandem with one another to accommodate non-parallel movement of the connecting element and the window connector, and wherein the window connector pivots relative to the connecting element via the ball-and-socket connection about a pivot axis that is perpendicular to the axial direction.

2 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the threaded shaft comprises a flexible shaft.

3 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 2 , wherein, as the connecting element translates along the flexible shaft and the movable window panel moves along the curved path of travel, the flexible shaft flexes to partially accommodate movement of the movable window panel along the curved path of travel.

4 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 2 , wherein the flexible shaft is curved and flexes as the flexible shaft rotates to translate the connecting element along the flexible shaft.

5 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the connecting element comprises a threaded body that threadedly receives the threaded shaft, and wherein a portion of the threaded body engages the housing to limit rotation of the threaded body about the threaded shaft while allowing for translational movement of the threaded body in the axial direction along the threaded shaft.

6 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 5 , wherein the housing comprises a channel formed at an inner portion of the housing, and wherein the portion of the threaded body comprises a protrusion that moves along and within the channel while the threaded body translates in the axial direction along the threaded shaft as the threaded shaft is rotated.

7 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drive system comprises an electrical connector disposed at an end of the housing for electrically connecting to a vehicle wire harness when the vehicular slider window assembly is mounted at a vehicle.

8 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 7 , wherein the vehicular slider window assembly includes a heater grid on the fixed window panel and a heater grid on the movable window panel.

9 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 8 , wherein the heater grids are electrically connected to the electrical connector, and wherein the vehicle wire harness electrically connects to the drive motor and the heater grids via electrical connection to the electrical connector at the end of the housing of the drive system.

10 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fixed window panel comprises a single fixed window panel having the opening through the single fixed window panel.

11 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein, as the connecting element translates in the axial direction along the threaded shaft to move the movable window panel along the curved path of travel, the connecting element and the window connector do not translationally move in the axial direction relative to one another.

12 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular slider window assembly is configured to mount at a vehicle, and wherein, with the vehicular slider window assembly mounted at the vehicle, a longitudinal axis of the threaded shaft is horizontal.

13 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein the threaded shaft comprises a non-curved threaded shaft.

14 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 1 , wherein (i) the connecting element comprises a ball member of the ball-and-socket connection and (ii) the window connector comprises a receiving portion of the ball-and-socket connection for pivotally receiving the ball member of the connecting element.

15 . A vehicular slider window assembly, the vehicular slider window assembly comprising:

an upper rail and a lower rail;

a fixed window panel that is fixed relative to the upper rail and the lower rail, the fixed window panel at least in part defining an opening;

a movable window panel that is movable along the upper rail and the lower rail, wherein the movable window panel is movable between a closed position, where the movable window panel is disposed at the opening, and an opened position, where the movable window panel is disposed at least partially along the fixed window panel;

a drive system operable to move the movable window panel along a curved path of travel between the opened position and the closed position, wherein the drive system comprises (i) a drive motor, (ii) a threaded shaft rotatably driven by the drive motor, (iii) a connecting element having a threaded body that threadedly receives the threaded shaft and (iv) a window connector that is attached to the movable window panel and that pivotally connects to the connecting element via a ball-and-socket connection;

wherein rotation of the threaded shaft imparts a translational movement of the connecting element in an axial direction along the threaded shaft to move the movable window panel along the curved path of travel between the opened and closed positions;

wherein the movable window panel moves along the curved path of travel in tandem with the translational movement of the connecting element and the window connector;

wherein the window connector is fixedly attached to the movable window panel such that there is no movement between the movable window panel and the window connector;

wherein, as the connecting element translates in the axial direction along the threaded shaft to move the movable window panel along the curved path of travel, the movable window panel and the window connector pivot relative to the connecting element together and in tandem with one another via the ball-and-socket connection to accommodate non-parallel movement of the connecting element and the window connector, and wherein the window connector pivots relative to the connecting element via the ball-and-socket connection about a pivot axis that is perpendicular to the axial direction; and

wherein, when the threaded shaft rotates to move the connecting element along the threaded shaft, the vehicular slider window assembly limits rotation of the connecting element about the threaded shaft while allowing for translational movement of the threaded body in the axial direction along the threaded shaft.

16 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the ball-and-socket connection comprises a ball member of the connecting element and a receiving portion of the window connector that pivotally receives the ball member of the connecting element.

17 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the threaded shaft is disposed along a housing attached at the fixed window panel.

18 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 17 , wherein a portion of the threaded body moves along and within a channel along the housing while the threaded body translates in the axial direction along the threaded shaft as the threaded shaft is rotated to limit rotation of the connecting element about the threaded shaft while allowing for translational movement of the threaded body in the axial direction along the threaded shaft.

19 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the drive system comprises an electrical connector for electrically connecting to a vehicle wire harness when the vehicular slider window assembly is mounted at a vehicle.

20 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 19 , wherein the vehicular slider window assembly includes a heater grid on the fixed window panel and a heater grid on the movable window panel, and wherein the heater grids are electrically connected to the electrical connector, and wherein the vehicle wire harness electrically connects to the drive motor and the heater grids via electrical connection to the electrical connector of the drive system.

21 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the fixed window panel comprises a single fixed window panel having the opening through the single fixed window panel.

22 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the threaded shaft comprises a flexible shaft.

23 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 22 , wherein, as the connecting element translates along the flexible shaft and the movable window panel moves along the curved path of travel, the flexible shaft flexes to partially accommodate movement of the movable window panel along the curved path of travel.

24 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 22 , wherein the flexible shaft is curved and flexes as the flexible shaft rotates to translate the connecting element along the flexible shaft.

25 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the threaded shaft comprises a non-curved threaded shaft.

26 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein, as the connecting element translates in the axial direction along the threaded shaft to move the movable window panel along the curved path of travel, the connecting element and the window connector do not translationally move in the axial direction relative to one another.

27 . The vehicular slider window assembly of claim 15 , wherein the vehicular slider window assembly is configured to mount at a vehicle, and wherein, with the vehicular slider window assembly mounted at the vehicle, a longitudinal axis of the threaded shaft is horizontal.