Open roof construction for a vehicle

Abstract: An open roof construction for a vehicle having an opening (2) in its fixed roof (1), which comprises a frame part (3) to be secured to the roof and an adjustable closing element (7,12,13,14) supported by said frame part, which is adjustable between a closed position and an open position. The closing element comprises at least one rigid plate (14), which is capable of pivoting movement about a first pivot pin (17) with respect to a part (13) disposed before said rigid plate, which part remains stationary during said pivoting movement. The plate (14) and the part (13) disposed before said plate are fixedly interconnected by means of a flexible sealing element (15). The plate may make up a wind deflector or part of the closing element.

Description: The invention relates to an open roof construction according to the preamble of claim 1. Open roof constructions of this type are already known for example from DE 41 02 660 C1. This document discloses all features of the preamble of claim 1, in particular a folding roof for a vehicle, comprising a foldable cover with a front plate connected thereto, a wind deflector and a sealing element. The front plate has a lowered portion to accommodate the wind deflector in the closed position of the folding roof. There is a provided a sealing lip to seal the gap between the wind deflector and the stationary part in front thereof. The sealing lip is fixed to the stationary part and slidably against the wind deflector. The object of the invention is to further improve this prior art open roof construction. In order to accomplish that objective, the open roof construction according to the invention is characterised by the features of the characterising portion of claim 1. According to the invention, the flexible sealing element is made of a cloth-like material extending over the wind deflector, while the main closing element is provided with the same cloth-like material on the upper side, which in that case extends over the entire area of all parts of the closing element. Preferably, the aforesaid stationary part also consists of a plate, whose upper side is flush with the upper side of the plate-shaped wind deflector in the inoperative position of said wind deflector. In this embodiment, the front stationary plate may be sealed in a traditional manner with respect to the frame by means of a sealing section, whilst the front plate and the wind deflector are interconnected via the flexible sealing element. In the closed position of the wind deflector, the division between the two parts is not visible, since the cloth-like sealing element extends tautly over both plates. The invention will be explained in more detail hereafter with reference to the drawings, which show an embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of the embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are schematic longitudinal sectional views along, respectively, lines II-II, III-III and IV-IV in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 4 of an alternative embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention. The drawings show an embodiment of an open roof construction for a vehicle, in particular a passenger car, whose fixed roof 1 is provided with a roof opening 2 which is recessed therein. The open roof construction is of the top loading type, comprising a stationary frame 3 which can be mounted in roof opening 2 from above. In the illustrated embodiment, roof opening 2 is provided with a recessed edge 4, in which the frame 3 is sealingly mounted by means of a circumferential seal 5, after which a clamping member 6 of frame 3 secures frame 3 to the recessed edge 4 of fixed roof 1. This construction comprising a recessed edge 4 is in particular intended for direct mounting of the open roof construction while the vehicle is being manufactured, in case of subsequent mounting, frame 3 will rest on top of fixed roof 1 with a flat flange in most cases. The illustrated embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention consists of a folding roof comprising a foldable cover 7, which consists of cloth material which is secured on the front side to a plate 8 which is connected to an operating beam 9 or formed integrally therewith. Operating beam 9 functions to open and close the cover 7. To this end, operating beam 9 can be moved forwards and backwards in guide rails disposed at the edges of the roof opening 2 by means of adjusting elements, which adjusting elements can be moved by means of driving elements, such as pull-push cables 10, which can be moved by means of a driving motor 11 or the like for the purpose of moving operating beam 9 and thus opening and closing the folding roof. As is shown in the drawings, a panel 12 is provided at the front edge of roof opening 2, which panel is a two-part panel consisting of a front plate 13, which remains stationary, and a rigid plate 14 which is pivotally mounted with respect thereto, which in this embodiment functions as a wind deflector. The division between the two plates 13 and 14 takes place along a straight line. The curved front edge of the stationary plate 13 is in constant engagement with the upper side of circumferential seal 5 of the frame, forming a reliable seal at that location. Plate 13 and wind deflector 14 are jointly lined with a one-piece cloth-like material, which is the same material as the material of the cover 7 of the folding roof. The cloth-like material 15 functions as a flexible and foldable connection between the rear edge of plate 15 and the front edge of wind deflector 14. Wind deflector 14 comprises an arm 16 (Fig. 3) near both lateral sides, which arm extends in forward and downward direction from the underside of wind deflector 14, and which is pivotally connected to frame 3 by means of an associated pivot pin 17. Said pivot pins 17 are positioned more or less under the rear edge of plate 13, in such a manner that when wind deflector 14 pivots with respect to plate 13, the distance between plate 13 and wind deflector 14 will not increase as wind deflector 14 pivots upwards. When fixed roof 1, and thus plate 13 and wind deflector 14 exhibit a convex curvature, the distance between wind deflector 14 and plate 13 in the transverse direction of the open roof construction will vary upon pivoting of wind deflector 14, but the cloth-like material, which functions as a sealing element, can absorb this variation by folding when the distance between wind deflector 14 and plate 13 becomes locally smaller than in the closed position of wind deflector 14. In the closed or inoperative position of wind deflector 14, on the other hand, the cloth-like material 15 is stretched tautly in the space between plate 13 and wind deflector 14. The drawings furthermore show that plate 8 is provided with a lower portion 18 at the front edge of foldable cover 7 of the folding roof, over which lower portion the rear side of wind deflector 14 fits sealingly. The drawing furthermore shows that the upper side of the wind deflector 14, when it is in its inoperative position, lies in the same plane as the upper side of the closing elements 7 when in its closed position. The drawings furthermore show that said lower portion 18 varies in length in the transverse direction of the folding roof, because the front edge of plate 8 of foldable cover 7 is arcuate, whilst the rear edge of wind deflector 14, and thus the rear edge of said lower portion 18 in plate 8, is straight. Fig. 4 shows that an adjusting mechanism 19 is provided at one lateral end, but preferably at two ends, for the purpose of adjusting wind deflector 14, which mechanism causes the wind deflector 14 to move upwards automatically upon opening of foldable cover 7. Each adjusting mechanism 19 comprises a lifting arm 20, which is pivotally connected to the wind deflector 14 at its upper end by means of a pivot 21 provided approximately halfway wind deflector 14, and which is pivotally supported by a guide pin 22 at its lower end. Guide pin 22 is guided in a guide slot 23 being formed in a stationary part of frame 3, which slopes upwards towards the rear along the larger part of its length and which comprises a short, horizontal rear part contiguous thereto. Guide pin 22 is also in engagement with a guide slot 24, which is provided in a slide 25. Slide 25 is capable of reciprocating movement in the longitudinal direction of frame 3, with guide slot 24 extending at least approximately perpendicularly to the direction of movement of slide 24. As a result of this, slots 23 and 24 intersect at an angle. The adjusting range of slide 25 is indicated by means of an arrow P in Fig. 4, whilst said figure furthermore shows that a spring element, in this case in the form of a compression spring 26, is retained between the rear side of slide 25 and the front side of a part 27 of frame 3, as a result of which slide 25 is biassed in rearward direction. This implies that wind deflector 14 is biassed towards its upwardly pivoted, operative position. The drawing furthermore shows part of the operating beam 9, which functions as a driving slide 29 and which is capable of engaging on the rear side of slide 25 during the movement of operating beam 9 and of operating slide 25 during the final part of the closing movement and the initial part of the opening movement of the open roof, with spring 26 in the latter case ensuring that slide 25 follows the operating beam 9. When slide 25 is moved, the two slots 23 and 24 will move with respect to each other, and because guide pin 22 must be positioned at the point of intersection between slots 23 and 24 in order to be able to be in engagement with the two slots, a shift of the intersecting point between slots 23 and 24 will result in movement of guide pin 22 through the two slots 23 and 24. As a result of this, guide pin 22 will move through guide slot 23 from its lowermost front position to its uppermost rear position, and lifting arm 20 will be moved upwards at its lower end when guide pin 22 makes this movement, so that lifting arm 20 will make a lifting movement, which movement is determined by the pivoting movement of wind deflector 14 about pivot pin 17 and the movement of guide pin 22 through slot 23. Fig. 5 shows another alternative embodiment of a driving arrangement for adjusting mechanism 19, wherein slide 25 is fitted with a locking-coupling mechanism, which couples the driven slide 25 of adjusting mechanism 19 to the driving slide 29 of operating beam 9 in positions of cover 7 near the closed position, and which disconnects the two slides 25 and 29 from each other and locks driven slide 25 in position with respect to stationary frame 3 in the other positions of foldable cover 7. The locking-coupling mechanism comprises a coupling element 30, which is movably (in vertical direction) connected to slide 25 via an elastic, flexible connecting portion 31. Coupling element 30 possesses a downwardly projecting cam portion 32, which is capable of engaging in a locking recess 33 in the guide rail of frame 3 in the rearmost position of driven slide 25, so as to lock slide 25 of adjusting mechanism 19, and thus of wind deflector 4, in its operative position. Coupling element 30 furthermore comprises a wedge-shaped wall 34, which projects above the bottom of the guide rail of frame 3 upon engagement of coupling element 30 in locking recess 33, in such a manner that a front wedge portion 35 of driving slide 29 can engage under wedge-shaped wall 34 upon forward movement thereof and push coupling element 30 upwards so that cam portion 32 is lifted out of locking recess 33. Thus, the locking engagement of coupling element 30 with respect to stationary frame 3 is released and a coupling engagement between slides 25 and 29 is effected in forward direction. Before wedge portion 35 pushes cam portion 32 of coupling element out of locking recess 33, a hook portion 36 has moved over coupling element 30. Once coupling element 30 has moved upwards out of locking recess 33, coupling element 30 is retained between wedge portion 35 and hook portion 36 of driving slide 29 with some play. Coupling element 30 will have been moved upwards in that case, over such a distance that hook 37 of hook portion 36 can engage coupling element 30 upon subsequent rearward movement of driving slide 29 when the folding roof is being opened, also if said coupling element 30 still extends slightly downwards when wedge portion 35 of driving slide 29 is being moved away from its position under coupling element 30, so that cam portion 32 will rest on the bottom of the guide rail of frame 3. Hook 37 of hook portion 36 will then carry along coupling element 30 in rearward direction, while raising wind deflector 14, until cam portion 32 of coupling element 30 snaps into locking recess 33, moving coupling element 30 down so far that hook 37 of hook portion 36 can pass over coupling element 30 so as to move operating beam 9 of the folding roof further towards the rear, whilst wind deflector 14 will remain in the raised position. The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments as shown in the drawing, which can be varied in several ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the flexible sealing element could also function as a hinge for the pivoted plate/wind deflector, so that an additional pivot is not required. Furthermore, the part which is disposed before the pivoted plate, which part remains stationary, may also be formed by the stationary frame. The closing element may consist of several parts, whilst the stationary frame part may also consist of an integrated roof part or only of guide rails for driving mechanisms.

Claims: An open roof construction for a vehicle having an opening (2) in its fixed roof (1), which open roof construction comprises a frame part (3) to be secured to the roof; an adjustable closing element (7, 8) supported by said frame part, said closing element comprising a front plate (8) and a foldable cover (7) of cloth-like material connected thereto and covering it, wherein said closing element (7, 8) being adjustable between a first position, in particular a closed or inoperative position, and a second position, in particular an open or operative position, in which it opens the roof opening at least on a front side thereof, and wherein the front plate (8) is provided on its front side with a lowered portion; and a wind deflector (14), which is disposed adjacently to the front side of the roof opening and which is adjustable between a swung-down, inoperative position and a raised, operative position, said wind deflector (14) comprising a flexible sealing element (15) which is fixedly connected to a part (13) disposed before said wind deflector and seals the gap between the part (13) and said wind deflector (14), the rear side of the wind deflector fitting sealingly over the lowered portion of the closing element (7,8), characterized in that the flexible sealing element (15) is formed by the same cloth-like material as the foldable cover (7) and is fixedly connected to the wind deflector (14), said cloth-like material thereby covering the wind deflector (14). An open roof construction according to claim 1, wherein the part (13) is stationary during the adjustment of said wind deflector and which allows adjustment of the wind deflector, the stationary part (13) consisting of a plate, whose upper side lies in the same plane as the upper side of the wind deflector (14) in the inoperative position of said wind deflector. An open roof construction according to claim 2, wherein said cloth-like sealing element (15) extends over the entire upper area of wind deflector (14) and plate (13), and wherein said cloth-like sealing element (15) is stretched tautly between said plate and said wind deflector in the inoperative position of the wind deflector. An open roof construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said wind deflector (14) and said plate (13) are also interconnected by means of a pivot pin (17). An open roof construction according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said wind deflector (14) is provided with an adjusting mechanism (19). An open roof construction according to claim 5, wherein the adjusting mechanism (19) of the wind deflector (14) comprises a lifting arm (20), which is pivotally connected to the wind deflector at one end and which is in engagement at its other end with an at least partially sloping guide slot (23) in said stationary frame part (3), and which is also drivingly connected to a driven slide (25). An open roof construction according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the adjusting mechanism (19) is operated via a driving slide (29) of the closing element (7), in particular upon movement thereof during the initial part opening movement and the final part of the closing movement. An open roof construction according to claim 7, wherein a locking-coupling mechanism (30 - 37) is provided between the driven slide (25) of the adjusting mechanism (19) and the driving slide (29) of the closing element (7), which mechanism couples the two slides (25, 29) together in positions of the closing element near the closed position, and which disconnects the two slides from each other and locks the driven slide (25) in position with respect to the stationary frame part (3) in the other positions of the closing elements. An open roof construction according to claim 8, wherein said locking-coupling mechanism (30 - 37) is provided with a coupling element (30) which is movably in vertical direction connected to the driven slide (25), and that it is retained in said driving slide (29) in an upper position, near the closed positions of the closing element (7), for coupling the two slides together, whilst a locking recess (33) is formed in said stationary frame part (3), in which the coupling element fits after being moved downwards from a coupling position to a locking position, in which it is disconnected from the driving slide (29) and locks the driven slide (25) of the adjusting mechanism (19) of the wind deflector in position. An open roof construction according to claim 7, wherein said adjusting mechanism (19) is provided with a spring element (26) which biases the driven slide (25) to a position in which the wind deflector (14) occupies its operative position, whilst the driving slide (29) of the closing element (7) can move the driven slide to a position in which the wind deflector occupies its inoperative position.

Inventors: THIJSSEN EDWIN JOHANNES RICHAR, THIJSSEN, EDWIN JOHANNES RICHARDUS WILHELMUS
Applicants: INALFA ROOF SYS GROUP BV, INALFA ROOF SYSTEMS GROUP B.V.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B60J7
IPC codes: B60J7