Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Let-down type top
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-24
2001-10-23
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Let-down type top
C296S107090, C296S107130, C296S122000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305735
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims the priority of 199 34 892.8, filed on Jul. 24, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a displaceable folding top for a motor vehicle, and more particularly, a motor vehicle top with a folding top cover material which is held to a folding top rod system comprising a plurality of articulated rod parts with a main hoop which is arranged in an area of a vehicle side and is swivel mounted to the motor vehicle, wherein the sealing element is held to a separately formed sealing frame.
DE 43 27 729 C2 discloses a folding top provided for a convertible motor vehicle and having a kinematically displaceable folding top rod system and a folding top cover material carried by the folding top rod system. The folding top can be displaced between a closed position spanning the car interior and a deposited position opening up the car interior in which the rods and the cover material are stowed in a folding top compartment arranged behind the seats. The rod parts of the folding top are coupled in articulated manner with one another and with respect to the vehicle so that, during the conversion from closed to deposited position, they execute a spatial rotary motion.
The rod parts comprise various side and cross hoops and bows that are kinematically connected without any extra degree of mobility such that the folding top can be put up or stowed with a control motion that acts only in longitudinal direction. The folding top in its lateral area has a main hoop each on the left and right vehicle side that is firmly connected with the vehicle body by an articulated joint. To the two lateral main hoops, additional side hoops designed as a roof frame are connected in articulated manner which, in the closed position, extend up to the windshield frame and cover the side windows. To ensure a wind and watertight seal in the closed position, a circumferential sealing element is disposed along the entire roof frame including the main hoop. In the conversion to the closed position, this sealing element must assume a precisely fitting seat with respect to the window edge or the window frame and must furthermore be put in place with a relatively strong application force. To avoid leakage problems, the folding top must have a high manufacturing accuracy.
A further problem may occur in the area of fastening the material to the body in the region of the folding top compartment. To provide sufficient mobility in the conversion between deposited and closed position, the cover material has a non-fastened section (a loose material section) between the fastening on the body and the fastening to the next closest rod parts of the folding top, the main hoops. For reasons of leak tightness, the aim is to keep the length of the loose material section as short as possible without unnecessarily limiting the mobility of the folding top. Also problematic is the uncontrolled fold formation of the cover material in the non-fastened area.
A further drawback is the relatively large amount of space required by the folding top in its deposited position. Due to the far rearward and downwardly offset connection of the main hoop to the vehicle body, and due to the large continuous length of the sealing element, the main hoop executes a large, control motion extending far forward and far rearward. When the folding top is folded, the main hoop, which is swung rearward into the folding top compartment, together with the sealing element fastened thereto, requires an amply dimensioned depositing space in the corner area in vehicle longitudinal direction.
DE 43 44 373 C1 discloses a further convertible vehicle top in which a sealing strip carrying an elastic sealing element to seal the folding top in its closed position is displaceably held on a roof frame part of the folding top rod system. This ensures that the end faces of the interacting sealing elements meet. This separation into two discrete components, i.e. the roof frame part on the one hand and the displaceable sealing strip with the sealing element on the other hand, makes it possible to achieve a largely frictionless closing and opening of the sealing elements. The translatory displacement of the sealing strip, however, requires relatively high design complexity. It also makes it impossible to reduce the stowing space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a folding top that is small in its deposited position and that provides high seal tightness and a long service life.
According to the invention, this object has been achieved by providing that the sealing frame is separately swivel supported in the motor vehicle, wherein the sealing element is held to a separately formed sealing frame.
Particularly the spaced-apart swiveling axes of the main hoop and the sealing frame allow the sealing frame in its closed position to reach further forward in vehicle longitudinal direction than the main hoop and permits the use of a long continuous sealing element which spans across the side windows. In the deposited position, the stowing length of the sealing frame can be limited to no more than the stowing length of the main hoop. The spaced-apart swiveling axes of sealing frame and main hoop permit different extensions of sealing frame and main hoop in closed and deposited position even though the components may possibly have the same length.
The coupling via displacement kinematics between main hoop and sealing frame permits the sealing frame to swivel as a function of the main hoop. The displacement kinematics transfer the swiveling motion of the main hoop to the sealing frame and furthermore take into account the spaced-apart swiveling axes of the two components in that a relative motion between the two components is permitted while, at the same time, in swiveling direction of the sealing frame, actuating forces can be transferred from the main hoop to the sealing frame.
In addition to permitting a smaller stowing space, the embodiment according to the invention minimizes the loose material section between body and folding top, since the swiveling axis of the sealing frame to which the cover material can be fastened may be determined at a smaller distance from the fastening point on the sealing frame than in conventional devices with only one movable component. Based on the smaller distance between swiveling axis and fastening point on the sealing frame, the fastening point describes a partial circle with a smaller radius, whereby the length of the non-fastened material area is shortened and the tightness of the folding top is correspondingly improved.
In a currently preferred further embodiment, the swiveling axis of the sealing frame is flexibly arranged and executes a kinematically necessary movement, preferably a partial circle, as a function of the position of the folding top. Consequently, the sealing frame describes a double rotary motion, the rotation about its swiveling axis, on one hand, and the partial circle motion of the swiveling axis itself, on the other hand. Structurally, this is advantageously effected in that the sealing frame is held to the vehicle body via an additional support arm, and the support arm is rotatably held both on the motor vehicle and on the sealing frame. In connection with the displaceable guidance via the displacement kinematics between the main hoop and the sealing frame, a combined rotary and displacement motion of the sealing frame is achieved. The additional translatory component of the motion offers the advantage that the improved application force achieves a better seal between the sealing element and the side windows.
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patent: 144171 (1931-03-01), None
pat
Chenevert Paul
Crowell & Moring LLP
CTS Fahrzeug-Dachsysteme GmbH
Gordon Stephen T.
LandOfFree
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