Open roof construction for a vehicle

Abstract: A folding roof for a vehicle having an opening (2) in its fixed roof (1) comprises a stationary part (3) to be fixed to the roof, an adjustable cover (5) supported by said stationary part, which functions as the closure element. The cover is adjustable between a closed position, in which it closes the roof opening, and an open position, in which it releases the roof opening on the opening side. An operating beam (6) is provided on the opening side of the cover, on which cables (10) engage for adjusting the operating beam. A tensioning device (11) is mounted between said operating beam and said stationary part for tensioning the cover during the last part of the closing movement. The tensioning device can be operated by the cables and cooperates with a counter-element (17), which is adjustable in the direction of the movement of the operating beam. The counter-element, which is in the form of a block which is movable along said stationary part, is for example provided with a locking cavity (16) or the like for the tensioning device.

Description: The invention relates to a folding roof in accordance with the preamble of claim 1. A folding roof of this kind is known, for example from the applicant's patent applications EP-A-0 765 771 and WO-A-9939932. A problem that occurs with this folding roof is that the dimension of the cover slightly changes, for example shrinks or stretches, in the course of time, and that it is subject to ageing due to climatic influences and the like, as a result of which the cover tension in the closed position will increase or decrease. The object of the invention is to provide a folding roof of the kind referred to in the introduction, wherein the above problem is eliminated in an efficient manner. In order to accomplish that objective, the folding roof according to the invention is characterized in that the counter-element is adjustable in the direction of movement of the operating beam. As a result, it is possible to adjust the tensioning device for the cover by adjusting the counter-element, as a result of which a possible change in the cover dimension can be compensated, so that the cover can permanently be pulled taut. The invention will be discussed in more detail hereafter with reference to the drawing, which shows an embodiment of the folding roof according to the invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic top plan view of a vehicle roof fitted with the embodiment of the folding roof according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a larger-scale perspective view of detail II of Fig. 1. The drawing, and in the first instance Fig. 1 thereof, shows a roof 1 of a vehicle, in this case a passenger car, which is provided with an opening 2 for accommodating a folding roof. The folding roof comprises a frame 3, which supports parts of the folding roof and which is arranged for mounting the folding roof in the fixed roof 1. Frame 3 bounds a further opening 4, which can be selectively closed or at least partially released by a flexible cover 5. The construction of the flexible cover 5 and the means for folding same upon opening the roof may be of a prior art type and will not be discussed in more detail herein. An operating beam 6 for operating the folding roof is provided, on the front side of said flexible cover 5 in this case, to which operating beam a covering plate 7 is attached, which is connected to the flexible cover 5. Operating beam 6 is guided in guide rails 8 with its lateral ends, which guide rails extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle along each side of opening 4. Operating beam 6 can be moved forwards and backwards by drive means, which comprise a driving element 9 in the form of a crank, an electric motor or the like, and connecting means 10 in the form of pressure-rigid driving cables or the like. Cables 10 drive the operating beam 6 directly during the larger part of the opening and closing movement of the folding roof. In order to be able to pull the flexible cover 5 nicely taut in the closed position, however, a transmission mechanism 11 functioning as a tensioning device is mounted between cables 10 and operating beam 6, so as to pull the operating beam 6 with greater driving force to the closed and sealed position during the last part of the closing movement. Said transmission mechanism 11 is described in detail in WO-A-9939932. Fig. 2 shows the transmission mechanism 11 and the parts that cooperate therewith, and a lateral end portion of the operating beam 6 can be distinguished, which is suspended from a driving slide 12 which is capable of forward and backward movement in guide rail 8 on the respective side of opening 4. A sub-slide 13, which is fixedly connected to the cable 10 (not shown), cooperates with said driving slide. Driving slide 12 and sub-slide 13 are coupled in such a manner that they move as one unit during the larger part of the opening and closing movement of the operating beam, whilst driving slide 12 is locked with respect to guide rail 8 during the final part of the closing movement and the first part of the opening movement, and sub-slide 13 moves relative to driving slide 12. During said relative movement, sub-slide 13 drives the operating beam 6 via the transmission mechanism 11, which functions as the tensioning device in that case. A locking mechanism (not shown) couples the slides 12 and 13 together as one unit, and the locking engagement is released by lateral movement of a push-off means 14, which is provided at its rear end with a locking element 15 in the form of a cam, which engages in a locking cavity 16. This enables the transmission mechanism 11 to push off with respect to the frame so as to provide additional tensioning force for tensioning the cover. Locking cavity 16 is formed in a counter-element, in this embodiment consisting of a block 17 which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 8. The position of locking cavity 16 along guide rail 8 is adjustable in this manner, as a result of which the starting point of the tensioning movement can be changed. In case of a change in the cover dimension, locking cavity 16 can be moved in the longitudinal direction of guide rail 8, as a result of which the end position of the normal movement of the operating beam 6 can be adapted to the desired final cover tension. The special tensioning movement will start sooner or later in that case. The total movement of the operating beam 6 between the open position and the closed position will be variable then. Shrinkage or stretch of the cover can be compensated for in this manner. The adjustability of the counter-element 17 may be realized in various manners. In the illustrated embodiment, counter-element 17 is provided with teeth 18 on the side remote from operating beam 6, whilst guide rail 8 is provided with teeth 19, whereby teeth 18 can be meshed with teeth 19 in different positions, for example by sliding teeth 18 into teeth 19 from above at different locations. Thus, the counter-element 17 can be mounted and locked in a number of different discrete positions in longitudinal direction. The adjustment can be carried out in a simple manner, for example when the vehicle is being serviced. All kinds of other continuous or discrete adjustments of the counter-element 17 are possible, of course. Also a change in the length of the locking element 15 would provide the same result, for example. Also in this case the point of engagement of the tensioning device on a part that remains stationary during tensioning will change. From the foregoing it will be apparent that the invention provides a folding roof which ensures that, also in the long run, the cover will remain taut in the closed position. The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiment as shown in the drawing, which can be varied in several ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims: A folding roof for a vehicle having an opening (2) in its fixed roof (1), comprising a stationary part (3) to be fixed to the roof, an adjustable cover (5) supported by said stationary part, which functions as the closure element, which cover is adjustable between a closed position, in which it closes the roof opening, and an open position, in which it releases the roof opening on the opening side, wherein an operating beam (6) is provided on the opening side of the cover, on which a driving element (10) engages for adjusting the operating beam, whilst a tensioning device (11) is mounted between said operating beam and said stationary part for tensioning the cover during the last part of the closing movement, which tensioning device can be operated by said driving element and which cooperates with a counter-element (17), characterized in that said counter-element (17) is adjustable in the direction of movement of the operating beam (6). A folding roof according to claim 1, wherein said counter-element (17) is adjustably supported by said stationary part (3). A folding roof according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said counter-element (17) can be locked in several discrete positions. A folding roof according to claim 2 and 3, wherein said tensioning device (11) includes a push-off means (14) provided with a locking element (15), whilst said counter-element (17), which is in the form of a block which is movable along said stationary part (3), is provided with a locking cavity (16) or the like adapted to receive the locking element (15) therein. A folding roof according to claim 4, wherein said push-off means (14) including the locking element (15) is mounted on a slide (13) which is guided in a guide rail (8) of said stationary part (3), and wherein an unlocking mechanism activates the tensioning device (11) upon locking of the locking element (15). A folding roof according to any one of the claims 2 - 5, wherein said stationary part (3) and said counter-element (17) comprise teeth (18, 19), by means of which said counter-element can be moved to various positions with respect to said stationary part. A folding roof according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said tensioning device (11) is fitted with a linkage functioning as a transmission mechanism supported on the counter-element (17), on which the driving element (10) engages, and which is connected to the operating beam (6) in such a manner that the operating beam is moved at a reduced speed upon movement of the driving element.

Inventors: SANDERS JOSEPH PETRUS JOHANNES, TEUNISSEN RENATUS ARNOLDUS, SANDERS, JOSEPH PETRUS JOHANNES, TEUNISSEN, RENATUS ARNOLDUS
Applicants: INALFA IND BV, INALFA INDUSTRIES B.V.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B60J7
IPC codes: B60J7