Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-27
2003-11-18
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648406
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a mechanism for the wind deflector of an openable motor vehicle roof which includes a raising lever which is moved in a raising direction by means of a spring, wherein the displacement of a back edge of the wind deflector in a lengthwise direction is balanced during a swiveling motion by means of a compensation device.
2. Description of Related Art
European Patent Application 0 955 194 A1 discloses one such mechanism in which a raising lever is raised by a spring element which is located essentially horizontally in the closed position of the wind deflector by means of a carriage/crank arrangement which can be moved by the spring element. Since, in this known arrangement, in addition to the carriage arrangement, a guide for the carriage and a stationary carriage arrangement are also necessary, it is relatively complex in structure. Also, due to the plurality of components, it requires increased installation space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for a wind deflector which has a simple structure and reduces the installation space requirement.
The above objects along with other objects are achieved by providing a wind deflector including a compensation device, which is provided between the wind deflector and the raising lever for compensating for the motion of the rear edge of the wind deflector in the lengthwise direction during swiveling motion wherein the compensation device is formed directly by a spring. This obviates the necessity of additional guides, for example in the form of elongated holes.
One preferred embodiment of the invention calls for the spring acting preferably via a connecting rod on the back end of the raising lever. Since the installation space in an openable motor vehicle roof is most severely limited forward for a motor vehicle roof contour (which generally rises slightly to the rear with respect to installation height), this arrangement, in which the spring is located farther to the rear, is especially advantageous.
It is preferable that the raising lever, for swiveling the wind deflector back into the closed position, is pressed down by the horizontally movable cover. Since the raising lever in the closed position preferably assumes a horizontal, position, in another embodiment of the invention, at the start of the raising motion, a second spring acts as a kick spring from underneath on the raising lever in order to move it up and out of the horizontal position.
One advantageous use of the present invention is to act on a wind deflector louver which, in a closed position, is located flush with the cover located behind the wind deflector louver.
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Dittrich Wolfgang
Kohout Erwin
Radmanic Stjepan
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Pedder Dennis H.
Safran David S.
Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
LandOfFree
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