Abstract:
A sliding roof capable of opening/closing an opening window formed in a roof body, including a frame having a raised portion around the outer circumference thereof, a panel attached to the frame, and a weather strip fitted between the raised portion and the panel. The raised portion is provided with a projection with an edge directed to a proximal end side of the raised portion for preventing the weather strip from being pulled apart. The projection is formed by shearing work of the raised portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a sliding roof capable of closing and opening an opening window formed in a roof body of an automobile. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A model that has a sun roof in which an opening window is formed in a roof body and the opening window is opened and closed by a sliding roof is lined up in automobiles. As shown in FIG. 4, a weather strip  5  is mounted around an entire circumference of a panel  4 , and a sealing property between the opening window of the sun roof and the panel  4  is kept by the weather strip  5 . 
     The weather strip  5  is shaped into a loop, and is fitted to embrace a frame  1  having a raised portion  2  at its peripheral edge and the panel (glass)  4  mounted and attached onto the frame  1  by an adhesion, as shown in FIG.  5 . 
     In the weather strip  5 , a tongue portion  5   a  projecting from the inner circumferential edge is inserted between the panel  4  and the frame  1  for preventing from being pulled apart. 
     In order to assemble the sliding roof having such a structure in which the tongue portion projecting from the inner circumferential edge of the weather strip is inserted between the panel and the frame, there are two methods, i. e., to mount on the frame the panel having the outer peripheral edge at which the weather strip is fitted in advance, and to mount the panel on the frame at which the weather strip is fitted in advance while winding up a lip portion  5   b  clamping the panel  4  in cooperation with the tongue portion  5   a , for example, by utilizing a string that has been set in advance in a panel fitting portion. 
     The former method of these two assembling methods is superior in workability to the latter method. However, in order to enhance the reliability of the sliding roof, in view of the fact that the panel is expanded or shrunken due to a temperature difference, if a room is formed between the panel fitting portion of the frame and the edge portion of the panel, it is impossible to utilize the former method. Nevertheless, the latter method is too complicated in assembling work. 
     Accordingly, it is possible to take an approach to first mount the frame onto the panel and then mount the weather strip onto the frame to which the panel has been attached. In this case, it is impossible to clamp the tongue portion between the panel and the frame. Accordingly, the weather strip in which the tongue portion is dispensed with has to be used. 
     In this case, the weather strip is likely to be removed easily. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, a tip end portion of a raised portion  12  of a frame  11  is bent horizontally to provide a retainer portion  7  to thereby prevent a weather strip  15  from being pulled apart even if the weather strip  15  is pulled upwardly. 
     However, in order to bend and form the tip end portion of the raised portion horizontally, it is difficult to perform the machining work unless a width of the horizontal portion to be bent is enlarged to some extent. As a result, the width of the weather strip  15  has to be enlarged so that an area of a sliding roof  16  is unduly increased. If the sliding roof  16  has a transparent panel, an effective area for the light is reduced. 
     Also, if the width of the weather strip  15  is enlarged, it is difficult to bend the weather strip  15 , which has been extruded, in its corner portion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a sliding roof capable of opening/closing an opening window formed in a roof body, comprising: a frame having a raised portion around the outer circumference thereof; a panel attached to the frame; and a weather strip fitted between the raised portion and the panel, the raised portion being provided with a projection with an edge directed to a proximal end side of the raised portion for preventing the weather strip from being pulled apart. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings: 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a sliding roof in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
     FIGS. 1C and 1D are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a sliding roof in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
     FIGS. 1E and 1F are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a sliding roof in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a sliding roof in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
     FIGS. 2C and 2D are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a sliding roof in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a sliding roof in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention, respectively; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional sliding roof; 
     FIG. 5 is a view showing the conventional sliding roof and relating to a cross-section taken along the line A—A of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 is a view showing another conventional sliding roof and illustrating the sliding roof in which a pull-apart preventing means for the weather strip that has been considered conventionally is provided in the case where the weather strip may be mounted after assembling work. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A sliding roof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 
     Embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A to  1 F are directed to sliding roofs  26   a ,  26   b  and  26   c  in which projections  23   a ,  23   b  and  23   c  are partially provided in raised portions  22  of frames  21 , and after glass panels  24  has been attached to the frames  21 , weather strips  25  may be mounted on the frames  21 . In each of the sliding roofs  26   a ,  26   b  and  26   c  of such assembly type, it is impossible to perform the pull-apart preventing process by clamping the part of the weather strip by the panel  24  and the frame  21  but it is possible to easily assemble the weather strip  25  simply by fitting it from above by adopting the weather strip  25  in which a tongue portion is dispensed with. 
     The projection  23   a  in the pattern shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B has an edge directed to the proximal end side of the raised portion  22  by cutting the raised portion  22  into a U-shape to project the lower edge outwardly. 
     The projection  23   b  in the pattern shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D has an edge at the entire outer periphery thereof by punching out an upper end portion of the raised portion  22  into a rectangular shape to displace the punched-out portion outwardly. 
     The projection  23   c  in the pattern shown in FIGS. 1E and 1F has an edge directed to the proximal end side of the raised portion  22  by punching out the raised portion  22  into a triangular conical shape with its apex upwardly. 
     Thus, in any of the raised portions  22 , the raised portion itself is projected outwardly by shearing work, so that each of the projections  23   a ,  23   b  and  23   c  is formed. 
     Thus, the projections  23   a ,  23   b  and  23   c  are formed by utilizing the shearing work which has a high efficiency, so that the productivity is enhanced and the assembly work is facilitated. Since any projection has the edge directed to the proximal end side of the raised portion, the weather strip  25  that has once fitted will never be removed by the retainer action of the edge. 
     In addition, since the projection amount of each of the projections  23   a ,  23   b  and  23   c  may be suppressed to much the same level as the plate thickness, the width of the weather strip  25  is not enlarged. 
     FIGS. 2A to  2 D show embodiments of sliding roofs  36   a  and  36   b  in which raised portions  32   a  and  32   b  of frames  31   a  and  31   b  are bend and formed in a two-stage manner over the entire circumferences. In the pattern shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the raised portion  32   a  is provided with a slant portion  32   c  bent at an angle of 45 degrees to a horizontal portion  31   c  of the frame  31   a  and a vertical portion  32   d  bent at an angle of 45 degrees to the slant portion  32   c , i.e., at a right angle with respect to the horizontal portion  31   c . Namely, the raised portion  32   a  is bent by 45 degrees twice to thereby establish a right angle relationship between the vertical portion  32   d  and the horizontal portion  31   c . Then, the entire surface of the slant portion  32   c  provided over the entire circumference of the raised portion  32   a  serves as resistance to thereby prevent the pull-apart of the weather strip  25 . 
     In the pattern shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, the raised portion  32   b  is bent twice and formed into a V-shape in cross section, and there is no vertical portion. The pull-apart is prevented by two slant portions  32   e  and  32   f.    
     In any case, these sliding roofs  36   a  and  36   b  may readily be formed by pressing the frames  31   a  and  31   b . Also, there is almost no projection in the raised portion. Accordingly, the width of the weather strip  25  is subjected to almost no affect. 
     In the foregoing embodiments, the case where the projections are formed in the outer surface of the raised portion and the case where the raised portion is formed in the two-stage manner have been described. However, the sliding roof of the present invention is not limited thereto or thereby. For instance, it is possible to form the projections on the inner surface or to provide the projections on both inside and outside surfaces. 
     Also, it is possible to additionally provide the projections to the raised portion which has been bent in the two-stage manner. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a raised portion  42   a  that is provided with a slant portion  42   b  and a vertical portion  42   c  which are substantially the same as the slant portion  32   c  and the vertical portion  32   d  of the pattern shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is formed, and a projection  43  may be formed substantially at a border between the slant portion  42   b  and a horizontal portion  41   b  of a frame  41   a . Also, it is possible to perform the various modifications by combining, for example, change of the shape or position of the projection or change of the bending angle or position of the raised portion that has been thus far described. 
     Incidentally, the panel may be formed of synthetic resin in addition to the glass. Also, the height of the raised portion or the method of forming the projection is not limited to that shown in the embodiments. 
     According to the invention, the pull-apart prevention of the weather strip and the enhancement of the assembling workability are compatible without increasing the width of the weather strip simply by affecting the simple work to the frame. 
     In particular, if the projection is formed by utilizing the shearing work, it is possible to effectively form the edge.