Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-20
2001-10-30
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309013
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an openable motor vehicle roof with a cover which, in its closed position. closes a roof opening in a fixed roof skin and which can be raised for ventilation purposes, and which is provided with an adjustable headliner part which can be moved from its closed position in which it blocks the view from the motor vehicle interior relative to both the cover or the roof opening, in order to expose the roof opening or the view of the cover, and which can also be raised with the cover to increase the ventilation function.
2. Description of Related Art
A generic openable motor vehicle roof of the initially mentioned type is known from German Patent DE 195 13 971 C2, in which the cover can be selectively raised from the closed position or can be pushed back to the rear to under the fixed roof skin in order to expose the roof opening. The cover and the headliner part are each provided with a separate adjustment mechanism and are driven by two separate drives which each comprise an electric motor and compressively-stiffdrive cables. There is an electrical control circuit to coordinate displacement and swinging processes of the headliner part and the cover in order to preclude collisions. Within the framework of this collision protection, the cover and the headliner part can, however, be adjusted independently of one another.
The disadvantage in this motor vehicle roof is the complex configuration, especially the requirement of two separate drives.
A simpler openable motor vehicle roof is known from German Patent DE 43 30 599 C1, which has a cover that can be selectively raised from its closed position or can be pushed to the rear to underneath the fixed roof skin and a headliner part which can be pushed in the lengthwise direction of the roof but which cannot be raised. A driver arrangement provides for the headliner part being automatically entrained by the cover when the latter is pushed back in order to expose the roof opening. When the cover is not pushed back, i.e., with the cover closed or raised, the sliding part is manually pushed in order to control the light incidence through the transparent cover into the vehicle interior. Another vehicle roof having these same general characteristics is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,564.
The disadvantage in these motor vehicle roofs is that the headliner part cannot be raised to increase the ventilation function with the cover raised.
German Patent DE 25 51 335 C3 discloses an openable motor vehicle roof with an opaque cover which can be selectively raised from its closed position or which can be pushed to the rear to underneath the fixed roof skin and on which a headliner part is attached to block the view of the cover. However, this system is not suited for transparent covers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of this invention is to devise a motor vehicle roof with a raisable transparent cover and a headliner part which can both be pushed back and also raised, and which still is made as simply and economically as possible.
This object is achieved by a motor vehicle roof of the initially mentioned type in which the headliner part is coupled to the cover when it is in a certain position area relative to the cover such that it is entrained by the cover when the cover is raised.
In the approaches according to the invention, it is advantageous that, in spite of optimum functionality of the headliner part, i.e., the displacement function to expose the roof opening or the view of the cover and the raising function to increase the ventilation function, a simple structure of the motor vehicle roof is possible since an additional drive for the headliner part can be dispensed with.
In a first approach, there is a permanent driver function for the headliner part, i.e., it depends only on the relative position between the headliner part and the cover whether the headliner part is entrained by the cover when the latter is raised. This approach ensures especially simple operation of the headliner part.
In another approach, the driver function for the headliner part is only selectively provided, i.e., the operator himself can decide whether the headliner part is to be entrained by the cover or not when the latter is raised. This allows greater flexibility of operation.
In both cases, the headliner part is preferably entrained when the cover is raised when it is in or near the closed position.
According to one preferred embodiment, the headliner part can be locked to the cover, this preferably taking place in the closed position of the cover, and the headliner part and the locking taking place or being released preferably by shifting the headliner part with respect to the cover.
In the first approach, with a permanent driver function, in the preferred embodiment, the headliner part, with the cover raised, can be moved out of the raised position or into the raised position. This has the advantage of very simple operation since the operator need not be concerned with the position of the cover or the headliner part since the headliner part can be moved completely independently of the cover position. In particular, the headliner part can be moved directly from the raised position without the cover having to be lowered first into its closed position for this purpose.
The headliner part is preferably guided for its displacement in a guide means which comprises a guide element which is pivotably-mounted in the raising direction of the headliner part. This represents an especially simple and reliable implementation.
Furthermore, the cover is preferably coupled to the guide element such that the cover entrains the guide element in its raising motion. This provides for reliable operation.
Here, preferably, the pivot bearing of the guide element can be moved in the displacement direction of the cover. This easily enables a sliding function of the cover which, in doing so, can entrain the headliner part via the guide element even during the sliding motion.
Preferably, the guide element is made as a crank with a guide slot into which a counterpiece on the headliner part fits. In the preferred embodiment, the cover and the guide element are coupled by engagement of a journal into a recess.
According to an alternative development of the approach with a permanent driver function, the headliner part cannot be moved in the raised state, but it can be moved independently of the cover position in the unraised state. This represents an especially simple configuration.
Preferably, the cover and the headliner part are coupled in a certain position area by means of sliding engagement, the sliding direction being essentially perpendicular to the raising direction. This is achieved, preferably, by the journal being formed on the cover and fitting into a crank which is made on the headliner part.
According to a preferred embodiment of the approach with a selective driver function, coupling takes place between the headliner part and the cover via a closure which alternately opens and closes when activated (“click-clack closure”).
In an alternative embodiment of this approach, the coupling takes place by the cover and the headliner part being caused to engage by sliding by means of an actuation element, the sliding direction being essentially perpendicular to the raising direction.
Here, the headliner part is preferably supported such that, upon decoupling from the cover which is in the raised position, it is lowered in a damped manner in order to prevent excess noise development.
The actuating element is preferably made as a lever with a rod.
In the following, four embodiments of the invention are explained in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4179156 (1979-12-01), Huisman
patent: 4671564 (1987-06-01), Sumida et al.
patent: 4813737 (1989-03-01), Schlapp
patent: 4895410 (1990-01-01), Grimm et al.
patent: 85715 (1987-04-01), None
Betz Siegfried
Danzl Martin
Hilfrich Erik
Hirschvogel Engelbert
Schwanitz Gunther
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Pedder Dennis H.
Safran David S.
Webasto Vehicle System International GmbH
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