Patent ID: 8292359
Filing Date: 2012-10-23
Classification: B60J

Abstract:
1. A roof apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a pair of guide rails extending in a front/rear direction of the vehicle along side end portions of an opening portion formed on a roof of a vehicle; a movable panel supported by the pair of guide rails and opening and closing the opening portion by moving in the front/rear direction of the vehicle; a housing extending in a width direction of the vehicle along a front end portion of the opening portion, being connected to a front end portion of each of the pair of guide rails and supporting a drive mechanism; a casing at least part of which is constituted by the housing; a first spur tooth rack belt and a second spur tooth rack belt both of which are accommodated in the pair of guide rails and in the casing in a manner that the first spur tooth rack belt and the second spur tooth rack belt slide along the pair of guide rails and along the casing for transmitting a drive force of the drive mechanism to the movable panel; wherein the first spur tooth rack belt includes a plurality of first spur teeth formed on a surface of the first spur tooth rack belt which faces a surface of the second spur tooth rack belt on which a plurality of second spur teeth are formed in a manner that the plurality of first spur teeth and the plurality of second spur teeth protrude in a direction perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first spur tooth rack belt and the second spur tooth rack belt; a slope portion constituting part of the casing and being inclined upward toward a rear side of the vehicle is provided forward of each of the pair of guide rails relative to the front/rear direction of the vehicle; a pair of guide portions is provided at each of the guide rails, the guide portions positioned keeping a distance from each other in the width direction of the vehicle for guiding the first spur tooth rack belt and the second spur tooth rack belt respectively in the front/rear direction of the vehicle; each of the pair of guide portions includes a bottom wall portion and a pair of restricting wall portions positioned at side portions of the bottom wall portion relative to the width direction of the vehicle; and a front end portion of each of the pair of guide rails includes a cutout portion formed by cutting out the bottom wall portion, and the slope portion and each of the pair of guide portions are connected with each other in a manner that the slope portion communicates with each of the pair of guide portions via the cutout portion.