Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Let-down type top
Reexamination Certificate
2003-07-28
2004-09-28
Patel, Kiran (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Let-down type top
C296S037160, C296S107010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06796594
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a convertible with a roof which can be opened and lowered into a rear roof storage space, with a trunk lid which can be swung up to clear a through opening for the roof which is to be lowered at its forward edge, and which has a covering which is movably supported on the trunk lid so that it can be moved between a front covering position in front of the trunk lid with the roof opened and a rear lowered position under the trunk lid with the roof closed.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,915 discloses a convertible with a hinged roof which can be opened, in which the covering is supported on the front edge of the trunk lid to be able to pivot around a transverse axis, so that its top, which faces upward in the front covered position, faces downward in the lowered position in which it has been swung-back under the trunk lid. When the roof is to be opened and lowered, before the front of the trunk lid is swung up, first the covering is pivoted to the rear, out of its front position as a shelf under the rear roof part, to under the trunk lid, for which considerable space is necessary in the stowage space under the shelf and in the roof storage space to enable this movement to be performed. The required swinging path must be kept open and is not available for other vehicle parts or for cargo.
U.S. Pat No. 6,030,023 discloses a convertible with an openable hinged roof, in which a shelf is pivotally supported on a partition which borders the trunk or the front of the roof storage space for clearing the path of motion for the roof which is to be lowered. The shelf can be moved between covering position, in which the shelf covers the opening between the front edge of the trunk lid and the partition, and an essentially vertical lowered position on the partition. The shelf contains a bearing arm which projects downward and which is supported on the support mounted on the partition to be able to pivot around a transverse axis such that the shelf is swung out of its upper covered position, forward and downward to the partition. The shelf is coupled to the trunk lid, for example, by means of a Bowden cable, so that the shelf is swung at the same time as when the trunk lid is swung up for lowering the roof. However, since the rear edge of the swinging shelf moves up, and thus, against the rear roof part, the structural layout of the roof and shelf is limited.
Published German Patent Application DE 199 43 860 A1 discloses a convertible with a covering device in which a cover part, which covers the convertible top storage space, is movably supported for clearing a through opening for the roof. Furthermore, there is a flat widened area which can be adjusted by means of a four-bar mechanism, between a lowered position under the cover part with the roof closed and a covered position in front of the cover with the roof opened. The four-bar mechanism, on either side, contains a quadruple hinge with two pivot rods which are supported to be able to pivot around pivot axes which are stationary on the cover part and which adjust the widened area in a combined swinging-pushing motion, so that the top of the widened area faces upward in each position. The possible displacement path of the widened area between its two end positions is limited by the length of the two connecting rods of the quadruple hinge, long rods requiring a large swinging path. The flat widened area with the roof closed adjoins the rear roof part from underneath.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to devise a convertible of the the initially mentioned type which has an improved covering for the through opening for the lowerable roof.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in that there is a movably supported shelf which, with the roof closed, occupies an operating position as a shelf, and with the roof opened, a lowered position in front of the roof storage space. Thus, the shelf is moved into its operating position with the roof closed when the roof storage space or convertible top compartment is not occupied by roof parts so that the path of motion of the shelf is not limited.
Preferably, the shelf in its lowered position is located adjacent to a partition in front of the roof storage space. The partition, for example, can be located directly behind the seats of the convertible or behind a stowage space behind the seats. In a simple configuration, the shelf is supported to be able to swing down around a front pivot axis in its lowered position. Thus, a simple pivot drive is enough to picot the shelf at its rear edge into its roughly horizontal operating position and into its roughly vertical or steeply inclined lowered position on the back of the partition.
Preferably, the covering with the bearing means is supported on the trunk lid such that it can be displaced, with the top facing upward, between its covered position in front of the trunk lid and its lowered position under the trunk lid. Due to this parallel swinging, a smaller space is sufficient for the swinging motion of the covering, which is also called the cover of the convertible top compartment. Feasibly, the bearing means contains a quadruple joint which has two pivot rods which swing in the lengthwise direction and which pivot on the trunk lid and the covering, each around pivot bearing axes which are stationary on the components.
In an alternative configuration, the bearing means comprises a pivoting and sliding mechanism with a front pivot lever which pivotally supports the front section of the covering on the trunk lid, and with a lengthwise guide which is located under the trunk lid and on which a support arm which projects from the rear section of the covering is supported to be able to pivot and slide. The covering can also be guided at its front edge on the lengthwise guide and can be supported at its rear edge with the pivot rod.
When feasible, the shelf and the covering have essentially the same size, the through opening to be covered can be closed alternately by the shelf and the covering, without other components.
A drive means for the shelf or for the covering preferably contains a hydraulic unit, a hydraulic rotary drive or an electric motor. Furthermore, to move the covering, there can be a drive means with a drive motor and tension/compression cables or a rack. On the other hand, the drive for displacing the covering or the shelf can be derived from the bearing mechanism of the trunk lid. In this case, there is no need for its own additional drive.
The convertible is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings using two embodiments for supporting the covering.
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Nixon & Peabody LLP
Open Air Systems GmbH
Patel Kiran
Safran David S.
LandOfFree
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