Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-30
2002-11-19
Pedder, Dennis H. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481787
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sliding motor vehicle roof with two rigid covers for closing and at least partially exposing a roof opening which is bordered by the roof frame in a fixed roof surface, with a displacement device for moving the covers into a ventilation position, and with a headliner which has a front and a rear headliner part and which can be moved at least partially independently of the cover position in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the motor vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A sliding motor vehicle roof of the initially mentioned type is known, for example, from German Patent DE 44 38 104 C1. This known sliding motor vehicle roof calls for the two sliding headliner parts to lie at least roughly at the same height in the closed position and to have the capacity to be pushed on top of one another for opening. The two sliding headliner parts are connected on both sides to headliner sliders which, for their part, each engage a roof-mounted restraint which extends in the lengthwise direction of the motor vehicle for control of the displacement motion of the two sliding headliners and for controlling the vertical displacement motion of the two sliding headliners. There is no separate adjustment of the two sliding roof parts.
German Patent DE 41 283 C2 discloses a sliding motor vehicle roof with a single rigid cover and two sliding headliner parts. In the raised ventilation position of the single cover, a horizontal ventilation gap can be produced between the headliner parts. To produce this ventilation gap, there is a coupling of the drive for raising the sole cover with the rear headliner part which is connected by spring loading to the front headliner part and can be moved by a roof-mounted control lever, such that the rear headliner part can be moved away from the front headliner part against spring loading to produce the ventilation gap between the headliner parts in the lengthwise direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to improve the ventilation situation in the sliding motor vehicle roof under discussion with simple means.
This object is achieved by the front headliner part being coupled to the rear headliner part so that, proceeding from the closed position of the front headliner part, the front headliner part can be moved into a position which produces a front ventilation gap in front of the front edge of the front headliner part and the rear headliner part can be moved away from the front headliner part by the ventilation position motion of the cover to produce a rear ventilation gap between the two headliner parts.
Accordingly, in a sliding motor vehicle roof which has two rigid covers and two headliner parts, the invention calls for producing a first ventilation gap between the two headliner parts and another ventilation gap in front of the first headliner part. Via these two ventilation gaps and the two ventilation gaps obtained by raising the two covers, a sufficient amount of fresh air can flow into the passenger compartment when the vehicle is moving.
Advantageously, the motion of the headliners for exposing the ventilation gap is coupled to the ventilation position motion of the two covers. Advantageously, the two headliner parts adjoin one another under spring pre-tensioning and can be pushed in this position in the manner of a single headliner in the lengthwise direction of the motor vehicle. Between the two headliner parts, a ventilation gap can be produced by the rear headliner part being forcibly coupled to the adjustment device for raising the two covers such that, with the front headliner part stationary, the rear headliner part is pulled to the rear by the covers when the ventilation gap is being produced. The ventilation gap between the two headliner parts is produced preferably after the ventilation gap in front of the forward headliner part has already been formed by the two adjoining headliner parts being pushed to the rear by the common headliner drive, whereupon the separation of the rear headliner part from the front headliner part takes place as another ventilation gap is being produced by pulling back the rear headliner part.
The entire headliner for producing the front ventilation gap is moved either via the displacement means which is independent of the displacement means for the covers for the headliner or alternatively by entraining the front headliner part when the rear headliner part is pulled back by forced coupling with the cover displacement means, whereupon the front headliner part is fixed by a stop which can be inserted into the path of motion of this headliner part so that proceeding from the then fixed front headliner part the rear headliner part can be pulled back as the rear ventilation gap is being cleared.
In the following the invention is explained by way of example using the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4179156 (1979-12-01), Huisman
patent: 4671564 (1987-06-01), Sumida et al.
patent: 4844534 (1989-07-01), Boots
patent: 4981290 (1991-01-01), Huyer
patent: 6056352 (2000-05-01), Ewing et al.
patent: 41 11 931 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 4221043 (1993-01-01), None
patent: 4141283 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 44 38 104 (1995-12-01), None
patent: 0 980 777 (2000-02-01), None
Katzmeier Matthias
Kraus Thomas
Laux Philip
Schleicher Bernd
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Pedder Dennis H.
Safran David S.
Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
LandOfFree
Motor vehicle roof with two covers and two head liner parts does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Motor vehicle roof with two covers and two head liner parts, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Motor vehicle roof with two covers and two head liner parts will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2977744