Abstract:
The invention relates to a cabriolet vehicle comprising a displaceable roof which can be maintained in the closed position thereof at a point on the windscreen frame. According to the invention, at least one displaceable engaging element and one spring-loaded pivotable drive lever which engages in a direct or indirect manner with said element is provided for the movement thereof in or out of the engaged position for the maintenance thereof. The cabriolet vehicle is embodied in such a manner that the pivotable drive lever, which acts against the spring force with a component which is oriented away from the pivotable axis of the pivotable drive lever and which also enables the pivotable drive lever to be displaceably mounted.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is the United States national phase of Patent Cooperation Treaty application No. PCT/DE05/001588, filed Sep. 12, 2005, which claims priority to German patent application No. DE10 2004 044908.2, filed Sep. 14, 2004, the entire content of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to convertible roofs for automotive vehicles and, more particularly, to a latch mechanism for securing a roof to a windshield of an automotive vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A number of convertible vehicles are known in which the movable roof can be secured to the windshield frame of the vehicle in its closed position via, for example, two laterally outwardly disposed engagement members, for instance rotary latches, arresting hooks or similar, and for which purpose the engagement members are connected to a central drive. 
         [0004]    DE 44 15 969 C2 shows a convertible vehicle of this type in which a shaft, which is disposed substantially transversely to the vehicle and is termed a threaded cable  7  there, can be rotated and thereby rotates a spindle  9  on which a slider  10  is translatorily movable transversely to the vehicle. This slider takes along a further and stepped lever guided between two cylinder bars on its movement via a curved track guide, said lever being in contact via its step with the front edge of a spring-loaded pivotable drive lever, called an adjustment lever  36  there. The front edge is disposed opposite the pivot axis  37  of the pivotable adjustment lever. An inward and outward pivoting of the adjustment lever  36  is controlled by the displacement of the stepped lever in that the step impacts onto the front edge and, on the further displacement, counteracts a spring acting on the adjustment lever  36 . Since the step initially abuts in front of the edge and has to be pushed over it on the displacement of the connector, the force development is not favorable and a high force effort is required. An exact track guide of the stepped connector is required for this. In particular due to the linear guide elements provided therefore, the construction is complex and heavy, and moreover requires a substantial construction space in the transverse direction of the vehicle, which is not expedient in view of the tight space requirements in a roof peak or for a head impact in this region which is as defused as possible. 
         [0005]    Thus, it remains desirable to provide an improved roof closing mechanism for securing the roof to the vehicle windshield. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to one aspect of the invention, a convertible vehicle includes a movable roof which can be held in its closed position at a windshield frame, with at least one movable engagement member being provided for holding and a spring-loaded pivotable drive lever engaging indirectly or directly thereat being provided for its movement into or out of the engagement position, characterized in that the pivotable drive lever is transposable by means of at least one pivot connector which is movable with respect to the pivotable drive lever on action against the spring force at least regionally with a component leading away from the pivot axis of the pivotable drive lever and thereby transposes the pivotable drive lever. 
         [0007]    A favorable introduction of force for the transposition of the pivotable drive lever against its spring force is made possible by the invention. The pivot connector acting on the pivotable drive lever can describe a circular path with its tip and, in this process, press the pivotable drive lever down against its spring force in a continuous and slowly increasing manner without a jump in the required force being required at any time. At the same time, the construction space required in the transverse direction of the vehicle is substantially reduced since the pivot connector required for the movement of the pivotable drive connector can be held within the transverse extent of the pivotable drive connector during every phase of the movement. 
         [0008]    The end of the pivot connector remote from its pivot axis is particularly advantageously rollable or slidable at a rear section of the drive lever, with the end of the pivot connector remote from its pivot axis in particular being provided with a roller for a low force effort and a low-wear running. 
         [0009]    If the pivot connector runs through an angular position disposed perpendicular to its plane of extent during its influencing of the pivotable drive lever and the slide-off or roll track of the tip of the pivot connector provides an abutment for the tip of the pivot connector at the pivotable drive lever at least in the closed position of the roof, said pivot connector can be secured in an over dead center position in the closed position so that the spring force acting on the pivotable drive lever secures the pivot connector in the direction of the abutment in a force-loaded manner and thus secures the closing position. 
         [0010]    Pull-push bars can advantageously be used for remote actuation. An opening and closing of the roof can thus also be possible via a manual actuation—unlike with a rotating threaded cable. 
         [0011]    With such a force introduction via pull-push bars from a drive disposed spaced apart, it is favorable for the pivotable drive lever to be spring-loaded and for a pulling force on the bars to counteract the spring. The pull-push bars thereby only have to transmit large forces in the pulling direction and are supported by the spring in the pushing direction. The bars can thus have small dimensions. 
     
    
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Further advantages and features of the invention result from an embodiment of the subject matter of the invention shown schematically in the drawing and described in the following descriptions. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  shows a view from below into the vehicle in accordance with the invention having the front roof end (roof peak) with an indicated roof cover and with a windshield frame only indicated schematically and transparently with a central actuating member and laterally outwardly disposed engagement members for latching (not shown here) to the windshield frame which are in operative communication with the actuating member via pull-push bars; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  shows the detail II in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view from obliquely above of the closing apparatus shown in  FIG. 2  in the closed position of the engagement member; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view from obliquely below of the closing apparatus in the closed position of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  shows a similar view to  FIG. 4  during the opening of the engagement member by pushing out the pull-push bar transversely outwardly; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  shows a similar view to  FIG. 5  in a completely open position of the engagement member; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  shows the closing device in the position of  FIG. 4  in a view from the front; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  shows the closing device in the position of  FIG. 5  in a view from the front; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  shows the closing device in the position of  FIG. 6  in a view from the front. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    Referring to the figures, a convertible vehicle according to the invention is indicated at  1 . The vehicle  1  includes a movable roof  3 , which can be actuated between a closed or extended position extending over a passenger compartment and an open or retracted position disposed in a stowage space disposed adjacent to the passenger compartment. The roof  3  includes a “roof peak” or front end  4  toward a direction of travel F. Described in greater detail below, the vehicle  1  includes a pair of latches or closing devices  9  for releasably coupling the front end  4  of the roof  3  to a windshield frame  5  of the vehicle  1  and securing the roof in the extended position. 
         [0023]    Each closing device  9  includes an engagement body  6 . The engagement bodies  6  extend outwardly and laterally in a transverse direction q in the vehicle. The engagement bodies  6  are generally hook shaped and are pivotable around horizontal axes. The number of engagement bodies is also variable. A central engagement member may, for example, be provided. 
         [0024]    The engagement members  6  are movable via force communicators  7  starting from an actuation member  8 , which is central here, and in each case outwardly engaging with an at least substantial extent in the transverse direction q of the vehicle. The force communicators  7  are configured as pull-push bars and thus also permit a manual actuation, for instance by a pivotable handle, in addition to the use of an electrical or hydraulic drive. The actuation member  8  can also be disposed off-center with respect to the transverse extent of the vehicle. 
         [0025]    The two engagement members  6  here have no spatially fixed pivot axis with respect to the roof  3 , but are held movably, on the one hand, via a pivotable drive lever  10  which engages at the axle  11  at the engagement member  6  and, on the other hand, by an oppositely disposed control lever  12  which engages at the axle  13  at the engagement body  6 . The control lever  12  here engages around the hook  6  in the manner of a fork. 
         [0026]    The pivotable drive lever  10  is in turn pivotably supported at an axle  14  spatially fixed with respect to the roof peak  4  and is pre-tensioned downwardly by the spring force  15  in the direction of the force arrow  17  and thus in the closing direction of the hook  6 . 
         [0027]    The control lever  12  is likewise pivotably supported at an axle  16  spatially fixed with respect to the roof peak  4 , with the axles  14  and  16  being disposed parallel to one another, but on different sides of the engagement member  6 . The movable axles  11  and  13  are also disposed parallel to the spatially fixed axles  14 ,  16  at all times. 
         [0028]    The pull-push bars  7  each engage at a joint  18  at an actuation lever  19  which is pivotably supported on an axle  20  spatially fixed with respect to the roof peak  4  and disposed further below. A pivot lever  22  is also pivotably supported on this axle  20  at a fixed angle  21  to the actuation lever  19  and is thus pivotable in an equally sized excursion by pivoting the actuating lever  19  via the pull push bar  7 . 
         [0029]    The pivot lever  22  is configured in the manner of a cam and can have a sliding piece or, as here, a roller  23  at its end remote from the pivot axle  20  with which it is capable of rolling or sliding on a back portion  24  of the pivotable drive lever  10 . 
         [0030]    The back portion  24  is configured as a recessed track here and has at least one boundary edge  25  which ensures that the rolling path of the roller  23 , and thus the pivot angle of the pivot lever  22 , is bounded. In the closed position ( FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4 ) of the roof  3 , this permits a very advantageous over dead center position of the pivot lever  22  which secures the closed position. 
         [0031]    The movement procedure for the opening of an engagement member  6  from its closed position securing the roof  3  at the windshield frame  5  into the open position is shown respectively in the  FIGS. 4 to 6  and  7  to  9 . The pivotable drive lever  10  is pre-tensioned at all times in the direction of the arrow  17  in the clockwise direction around its axis  14  by its spring  15  which can also be configured differently than shown here. It is therefore necessary to work against this force during the opening, for which purpose the pivot lever  22  serves. 
         [0032]    In the initially closed position, which is also shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the pivot lever  22  contacts the edge  25  with its free end remote from its axis  20  and here provided with the roller  23 ; in this process it would initially have to run through a pivot position perpendicular to the plane of extent of the pivotable drive lever  10  on the starting opening from this position. The closed position is therefore a self-securing over dead center position, as already indicated above. A force acting in the sense of opening of the roof  3  and thus in the direction of the arrow  26  would therefore endeavor to pivot the pivotable drive lever  10  downwardly in the direction of the arrow  17 , which presses the end  23  of the pivot lever  22  even more strongly against the edge  25 , however, and is thus blocked. 
         [0033]    For the opening, the respective pull-push bar  7  is pushed transversely outwardly in the direction of the arrow  27 , whereby the actuation lever  19  is outwardly pivoted around the axis  20  and in this process takes along the pivot lever  22  held at a fixed angle thereto at an angular measure of an equal size. The end  23  of said pivot lever remote from its pivot axis rolls off on the back  24  of the pivotable drive lever  10 . In this connection, it is only necessary to work against the spring force  15  until the surpassing of the dead center; the further opening movement takes place assisted by the spring  15  and therefore requires almost no force effort. The roller  23  moves toward the pivot axis  14  in this process. On closing, the pull-push bars  7  are, in contrast, pulled against the direction  27  and the pivotable drive lever  10  is transposed by means of the pivot connector  22  which is movable regionally, that is with its head region, with respect to the pivotable drive lever  14  with a component leading away from the pivot axis  14  of the pivotable drive lever  10 . The movement of the pivot lever  22  configured in cam-like form is the pivot movement around the axis  20 , with the head  23  of the pivot lever  22  being guided on a circular path and thus transposing the pivotable drive lever  10  against the spring force in a stepless manner and with a linearly increasing force effort (Hooke&#39;s Law) without force jumps. Only a low required force effort also results due to the manner and configuration of the pivot movement of the pivot connector  22 . Alternatively, the pivot conductor  22  or a similar component could also be moved completely toward the vertical central longitudinal plane E. 
         [0034]    In any case, the total movement mechanics of the pivot connector  22  can be received within the transverse extent of the pivotable drive lever  10  and can thus not project beyond it in the direction of the plane E. The required constructional space is therefore small. 
         [0035]    In accordance with the direction of the introduction of force which is reversed with respect to what is known here, the or each hook-like engagement member  6  is pivotably movable for its opening with a component facing transversely in the direction of the vertical central longitudinal plane E. 
         [0036]    The vehicle as shown in the illustrated embodiment and described herein is a soft top. It should, however, be readily appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that the top may also be a hard top having rigid panels instead of a flexible cover, or a hybrid top having a combination of rigid panels and a flexible cover. Further, the vehicle as described herein may be a two seater or have a larger interior space with two seating rows behind one another. 
         [0037]    The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is, therefore, to be understood that the terminology used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.