Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-03
2003-09-23
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Roof structure
C296S216010, C296S216080
Reexamination Certificate
active
06623070
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the priority of German application 101 21 888.5, filed May 5, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a roof arrangement for a vehicle, particularly for a passenger car, including a roof frame, a sliding cover, two lateral guideways in which the sliding cover is movably guided for closing or at least partially exposing a roof opening, and bearing devices with which the sliding cover interacts. Each of the bearing devices is linked, on one side, to the sliding cover and, on the other side, is supported by way of a guiding element in one of the guideways. Each of the bearing devices has a lever arrangement which is fastened to the guiding element as well as to the sliding cover in a pivot bearing.
From German Patent Document DE 43 35 653 A1, a roof arrangement of the above-mentioned type is known for a passenger car. The roof arrangement has a roof frame and a sliding cover which is movably guided in two lateral guideways and used for closing or exposing a roof opening in the vehicle. Several bearing devices are linked to the sliding cover. Each bearing device is respectively supported in one of the guideways by way of one guiding element. Each of at least two of the bearing devices has a lever arrangement which is respectively fastened to the guiding element and on the sliding cover in one pivot bearing. When the roof opening is to be exposed, the sliding cover will be tilted or lowered by way of the lever arrangement about a tilting axis extending parallel to the transverse axis of the vehicle and will then be slid against the driving direction under a stationary roof part.
German Patent Document DE 199 38 605 C1 describes a bearing device for a rigid sliding cover which has a guiding element movable in a guideway. A bolt engages in a bolt receiving device of the cover and is supported with respect to the cover by way of a prestressed coil spring. It is a disadvantage of this embodiment that a ring-shaped supporting surface for the coil spring has to be established in each case in the bolt receiving device and on the bolt, which increases the manufacturing costs of the roof arrangement.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a roof arrangement of the initially mentioned type in which rattling noises are at least reduced while driving the vehicle, particularly when the sliding cover is open.
This object is achieved by supporting a lever arrangement of the roof arrangement on its pivot bearing against at least one of the guiding element and the sliding cover by way of an elastic element made of a rubber-elastic material. Additional advantageous characteristics of the invention are reflected in dependent claims.
Principal advantages achieved by the invention include at least a reduction in disturbing noises, such as rattling. The rubber-elastic element, which is inserted during mounting of the roof arrangement, is advantageously suitable for this purpose. Furthermore, additional costly treatments of the bearing device or of the sliding.cover are eliminated.
In the following, the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.
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Coletta Lori
Crowell & Moring LLP
Dayoan D. Glenn
Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
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