Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Let-down type top
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-16
2001-03-13
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Let-down type top
C296S107080, C296S107120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199936
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle folding top system, particularly for convertibles, in accordance with the introductory portion of claim
1
.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Open motor vehicles, in the form of convertibles, speedsters, etc., are enjoying increasing popularity. In this connection, the motor vehicles are increasingly being used not only as pure “fair weather” vehicles during the warm seasons, but must also be suitable for all conditions of weather, in order to be able to exist as an acceptable alternative in relation to conventional sedans vehicles or coupes.
This means, on the one hand, that stable folding top systems which are resistant to all conditions of weather, particularly snow and ice during the winter, and which can be quickly and easily opened and subsequently closed again at any time, such as during any warm solar irradiation, during any season of the year, are necessary.
Because of the requirement for the everyday use of such types of motor vehicles, increased demands are additionally being placed on the possibility of the useful load in order to also be able to accommodate larger quantities of baggage and purchases for the home and household.
A conventional motor vehicle folding top system has a foldable folding top in which a rear window is positioned, whereby the durable folding top is attached to an articulation element which has support rods which are supported in an articulated manner, and which are connected with several transverse support units extending in the transverse direction of the motor vehicle and serving for the tightening of the folding top, whereby a folding top casing, in which the opened and folded folding top can be accommodated, is provided. A folding top flap which incompletely covers the folding top casing, both in the opened as well as in the closed position of the folding top, is provided for the at least partial covering of the folding top.
If a folding flap is provided, it is disadvantageous in the motor vehicle folding top systems in accordance with the state of the art that, if they have a folding top flap, the folded folding top is displaced far into the trunk area and is folded together in a correspondingly small manner which, on the one hand, considerably restricts the volume of the trunk and, on the other hand, renders the possibility of a rigid glass rear window, with the supplemental elements such as rear window heating, antenna wires, etc., positioned correspondingly within it, which is conventional with closed motor vehicles, impossible.
Still more unfavorable motor vehicle folding top systems, even in some very high-value vehicles, do not afford any complete lowering of the motor vehicle folding top, and the foldable folding top is, in the folded condition, not completely stowed away and still projects out from the vehicle. Strong aesthetic disadvantages are then also associated with these aerodynamic disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object underlining the present invention is therefore that of improving a motor vehicle folding top system of the type described above in such a manner that the foldable top flap can be completely covered and can, by means of a rear folding top flap, be positioned in the motor vehicle in the opened condition of the folding top and that, at the same time, a maximum measure of available storage space is created in the vehicle, particularly in the volume of trunk.
This object is achieved by means of the features of claim
1
.
Through the fact that a swivelable supporting device of the rod, which can be swivelled into an opening position of the folded folding top in the direction of the rear of the motor vehicle, is provided in the area of the folding top casing, it is brought about that the entire rod of the folding top, with the folding top attached to the same, can be swivelled considerably more deeply into the motor vehicle, whereby the rear window area can, at the same time, be further lowered downwardly without being swivelled far into the rear in the direction of the trunk, through which the possibility is created that even rigid rear windows, particularly of glass, can be accommodated in the motor vehicle folding top.
The significant disadvantages of the state of the art are thereby overcome and, in addition to the enlarged storage space, an additional configuration of the opened vehicle, which is considerably more attractive in aesthetic terms, is thereby also achieved.
The supporting device advantageously has a bearing plate, preferably acutely angled, which is constructed in a triangle shape. A simple and stable supporting of the rod on the motor vehicle is thereby created.
The lower area of the bearing plate is thereby advantageously connected with the motor vehicle in an articulated manner, so that the bearing plate, for its part, and thereby the supporting device as well, can be swivelled around this articulation axis.
In addition, the rod advantageously has two lateral sections, each of which preferably has four rods or articulation support rods. The lateral sections are, for the purpose of stretching out the folding top, located on the specific external longitudinal side of the motor vehicle, and the articulation support rods serve for the folding of the lateral section of the rod.
Two articulated support rods are, in an advantageous manner, each connected with one another in pairs in an articulated manner, and the two parts of one side are connected with one another in an articulated manner, as the result of which a well-guided, foldable construction of the rod is brought about. By means of the configuration which has been described above, a good forceful guiding of the articulated support rods under one another, up to the flawless and stable folding down and folding up of the folding top, is also brought about.
It is advantageous, in addition, that the lower sections of one articulated support rod of each pair of articulated support rods are connected with the support device in an articulated manner. This creates, in an advantageous manner, the possibility of displacing the lower rod engagement point to the rear, and makes a still smaller folding together of the folding top along with the rod possible.
The motor vehicle folding top system in accordance with the invention has, advantageously, a material tightening bracket which is positioned in a rotatable manner on both lateral supporting devices and is connected with the lower edge of the folding top. By that means, a correct tightening of the folding top is made possible in a very simple manner.
A device for the adjustment of the tightening of the material advantageously engages with the material tightening bracket. This makes the subsequent tightening of the material of the folding top possible in a particularly advantageous manner, since the material does, because of its own elasticity, even if limited, give way to a certain extent, particularly through the influences of the weather, so that a subsequent tightening to the correct fitting of the folding top is necessary. This advantage also extends to the mounting of such a type of folding top since, because of unavoidable manufacturing tolerances, a subsequent adjustment is, as a general rule, necessary for the precisely correct seat of the folding top. The correct adjustment can therefore take place even upon the mounting in the simplest manner which, in turn, lowers the production times and thereby the production costs.
In one preferred form of implementation, the material tightening device has two adjusting pinions which are supported on the motor vehicle, on both sides of the motor vehicle, within the area of the folding top casing. By that means, the material tightening bracket is correspondingly moved through the activation of the adjusting pinion, and the correct tightening of the folding top is brought about.
In an alternative manner, an adjusting pinion can be provided in the middle of the motor vehicle, or not far from the same.
In one additional great advantage, the motor vehicle system in accordance with the invent
Dayoan D. Glenn
Dura Convertible Systems GmbH
Engle Patricia
Gardner Carton & Douglas
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