Patent Abstract:
A vehicle roof comprising at least one cover element, which selectively closes or at least partially exposes a roof opening and which, with respect to the vehicle longitudinal center plane, comprises a carrier element on either side, said carrier element being provided with a gate and interacting with an adjusting device, which is guided in a guide rail arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction and comprises a carriage element, which interacts with the gate of the respective carrier element at least in order to pivot the cover element and comprises a guide section on which the carrier element rests. The guide section is formed by a wall of a plastic component, which can be elastically deformed and give way in a hollow space formed by the plastic component.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a vehicle roof with at least one cover element which optionally closes or at least partially opens up a roof opening. 
     2. Related Technology 
     A vehicle roof of this type is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,398 B2 and comprises a cover element which, along both lateral edges thereof with respect to the vehicle longitudinal center plane, is provided with a carrier element which constitutes a pivoting or deployment arm. Guide rails, in each of which one of the carrier elements is displaceably guided, are arranged along the lateral edges of the roof opening. The carrier elements each interact with an adjustment device which comprises a carriage element which is provided with a claw which interacts with a guide track or control track of the particular carrier element. Movement of the carriage elements in the guide rails triggers a pivoting movement of the carrier elements and therefore of the cover element. 
     Furthermore, it is known from practice, in the case of carriage elements according to the type described above, to form a guide section on which the lower side of the particular carrier element rests and which consists of an elastically mounted steel roller which is formed from a rolling bearing steel tube in which a damper forming the elastic mounting is embedded. Such a guide section which is formed from a steel roller is also highly cost-intensive. Adequate compensation for tolerances in the vertical direction of the vehicle may possibly not be possible because of the small dimensions of the damper. Also, high surface pressure prevails because of the linear contact, which is predetermined by the steel roller, with the guide web formed on the particular carrier element. This may in turn lead, when the adjustment device is actuated, to undesirable noises occurring because of the “stick-slip effect”. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a vehicle roof of the generic type mentioned which above that is distinguished by favorable production costs with optimized compensation for tolerances of the carriage element. 
     Accordingly, the invention provides a vehicle roof with at least one cover element that optionally closes or at least partially opens up a roof opening which has a carrier element on both sides with respect to the vehicle longitudinal center plane, the carrier element being provided with a guide link and interacting with an adjustment device that is guided in a guide rail arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and comprises a carriage element that interacts with the guide link of the particular carrier element, at least for pivoting the cover element, and comprises a guide section on which the carrier element rests, wherein the guide section is formed by a wall of a plastic structural member, which wall can yield in an elastically deformable manner into a cavity formed by the plastic structural member. 
     The core of the invention consequently consists in that the guide section is formed by a wall of a plastic structural member, which wall can yield in an elastically deformable manner into a cavity formed by the plastic structural member. The guide section is consequently formed by a structural member which can be produced cost-effectively and, with the wall thereof bearing against the carrier element, forms a sliding surface which can be designed in an optimized manner with regard to the respective kinematic requirements. The guide section formed by the wall of the plastic structural member can in particular form a contact surface, leading to optimized sliding properties between the particular carrier element and the carriage element. However, it is also conceivable for the guide section formed by the wall to bear against the relevant carrier element via a contact line. 
     In a particularly cost-effectively producible embodiment of the vehicle roof according to the invention, the carriage element is a plastic injection molded part. In contrast to carriage elements according to the prior art, which elements are produced from painted steel, an increased variability with regard to the shaping of the carriage element is thereby also possible. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention, the plastic part which has the wall forming the guide section is formed integrally with the carriage element. The guide section and the carriage element are therefore produced in a shaping process without further assembly steps. 
     In order to be able to confer respectively optimized properties on the carriage element in the various functional regions thereof, it may be advantageous to design the carriage element as a two-component injection molded part, wherein a carriage element body is formed by a first plastic component, and the plastic structural member which has the wall forming the guide section is formed by a second plastic component. A claw section engaging over the guide link or the guide web can also be formed from the second plastic component which, in cooperation with the material of the insert molding of the guide web of the carrier element, forms an optimized sliding pairing. 
     In an alternative embodiment of the vehicle roof according to the invention, the plastic structural member is an insert of a body of the carriage element. The carriage element therefore then has a carriage element body which is provided with a recess for receiving the plastic structural member which has the wall forming the guide section. 
     In the two-part embodiment consisting of the carriage element body and plastic structural member, the plastic structural member is preferably latched to the carriage element body and is therefore connected captively to the latter. 
     However, it is also conceivable for the plastic structural member to be inserted loosely into the recess in the carriage element body and then to be supported, for example, with a base surface on the guide rail and to be guided at right angles to the base surface in the recess. 
     In order to prestress that wall of the plastic structural member which forms the guide section in the direction of the carrier element and also to damp the forces introduced into said wall by the carrier element, in a special embodiment of the vehicle roof according to the invention, an elastically deformable damping element, on which the wall forming the guide section is supported, is arranged in the cavity. The damping element is manufactured, for example, from a spring-elastic plastic, such as EPDM, TPE, NBR or the like. 
     In order to increase the prestressing of the wall forming the guide section in the vertical direction, i.e. in the direction of the relevant carrier element, that side of the damping element which bears against the wall forming the guide section can be of curved design transversely with respect to the extent of the guide rail. 
     To secure the damping element in the cavity, the carriage element can have a projection which engages in a cutout in the damping element and holds the latter in position. 
     An expedient embodiment of the carriage element has a lateral opening for the insertion of the damping element, said opening leading to the cavity which is bounded by the wall forming the guide surface. 
     The damping element can protrude out of the lateral opening in the carriage element in order to form a rest surface, which in particular is also a damping surface and therefore counteracts annoying noises, for an otherwise customary locking lever of the control mechanism. 
     In order to increase the prestressing of that wall of the plastic part which acts on the carrier element, said wall can be of curved design at least on one side transversely with respect to the extent of the carrier element. For example, that surface of the wall which faces the cavity or else the surface facing the carrier element is curved transversely with respect to the extent of the carrier element. 
     In a further alternative embodiment of the vehicle roof according to the invention, the guide web of the carrier has an operative surface which bears against the guide section and is curved in the transverse direction such that prestressing is also applied here as compensation for tolerances in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the forces introduced are introduced into adjacent structural members with a reduction in stress. 
     For the optimized adaptation of the guide section to the various adjustment regions of the relevant carrier element, the guide section is preferably formed by two guide surfaces which are each assigned to a pivoting phase of the cover element, are tilted with respect to each other and are arranged consecutively in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. 
     Furthermore, it may be expedient for the wall forming the guide section to be of double-walled design. The two individual walls of the double wall can be connected to each other via transverse webs. 
     By forming the carriage element as a plastic injection molded part, it is possible to form spring tabs integrally thereon, said spring tabs, in assigned guide tracks of the respective guide rails, bearing against a guide track wall. 
     The invention also has a vehicle roof with at least one cover element which optionally closes or at least partially opens up a roof opening which has a carrier element on both sides with respect to the vehicle longitudinal center plane, said carrier element being provided with a guide link and interacting with an adjustment device. The adjustment device is guided in a guide rail arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and comprises a carriage element which interacts with the guide link of the particular carrier element, at least for pivoting the cover element, and comprises a guide section on which the carrier element rests. The carriage element is supported on the relevant guide rail via a centrally arranged spring on the underside. Upon occurrence of high forces in the vertical direction of the vehicle, said spring can introduce the forces directly into the guide rail. Said spring, which rests on the guide rail outside guide tracks for sliding elements of the carriage element, can replace springs which could otherwise be formed on the sliding elements and act in the vertical direction of the vehicle. 
     The spring is, for example, a leaf spring which bears against a sliding surface of the guide rail via a sliding section, said sliding surface lying between guide tracks of the guide rail, in which the lateral sliding elements of the carriage element are guided. 
     The spring is expediently designed as an insert of the carriage element which may be inserted during the production of the carriage element or else may be inserted retrospectively into a slot in the carriage element. However, it is also conceivable to design the spring from plastic and to form the spring integrally during the production of the carriage element which is designed in particular as an injection molded structural member. 
     Further advantages and advantageous refinements of the subject matter of the invention can be gathered from the description, the drawing and the patent claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of a vehicle roof according to the invention are illustrated in a schematically simplified manner in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the description below. In the drawing: 
         FIG. 1  shows an overview illustration of a cover element, which is guided in guide rails, of a tilt and slide sun roof; 
         FIG. 2  shows an adjustment device, which is guided in a guide rail, for the cover element, in the closed position of the cover element; 
         FIG. 3  shows a view corresponding to  FIG. 2 , but in the ventilation position of the cover element; 
         FIG. 4  shows a view of the adjustment device, likewise corresponding to  FIG. 2 , but for a lowered displacement position of the cover element; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a carriage element of the adjustment device together with a carrier element of the cover element; 
         FIG. 6  shows a longitudinal section through the carriage element and the carrier element; 
         FIG. 7  shows a section in the transverse direction of the vehicle through the adjustment device for the cover element; 
         FIG. 8  shows alternative embodiments of the adjustment device; 
         FIG. 9  shows a longitudinal section through a further embodiment of a carriage element with a damping element for forces introduced by the carrier element; 
         FIG. 10  shows a longitudinal section through a carriage element with a supporting spring on the underside; 
         FIG. 11  shows a longitudinal section through a carriage element with an insert forming a guide section; 
         FIG. 12  shows an alternative embodiment of a carriage element with an insert; 
         FIG. 13  shows a further alternative embodiment of a carriage element with an insert which forms a guide section for the carrier element; 
         FIG. 14  shows a variant embodiment of the adjustment device for a closed position of the cover element; 
         FIG. 15  shows the variant embodiment, which is illustrated in  FIG. 14 , for the lowered displacement position of the cover element; and 
         FIG. 16  shows a section of the adjustment mechanism inserted into a guide rail, according to  FIGS. 14 and 15 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a tilt and slide sun roof  10  which is designed for insertion into a motor vehicle roof (not illustrated specifically) and has a cover element  12  by means of which a roof opening can optionally be closed or at least partially opened up. The cover element  12  has a glass body  14  which is enclosed by a frame  16  which is formed from a polyurethane foam and in which fastening tabs  18  are attached along the lateral edges with respect to a vehicle longitudinal center plane. The fastening tabs  18  serve to connect the cover element  12  to an adjustment device  22  for the actuation of the cover element  12 , said adjustment device being guided in guide rails  20  arranged along the roof opening. For the sake of clarity,  FIG. 1  illustrates only the adjustment device  22  which is arranged on the left in the forward direction of travel, together with the associated guide rail  20 . 
     The adjustment device  22 , which is illustrated in detail in  FIGS. 2 to 9 , comprises a drive carriage  24 , which is movable in the guide rail  20  by means of a pressure-resistant drive cable (not illustrated specifically), a carrier element  26  to which the cover element  12  is screwed via the fastening tabs  18 , and a locking lever  28 , by means of which the position of the cover element  12  can be secured in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and, for these purposes, interacts via a projection with a “garage” of the guide rail. 
     By means of the adjustment device  22  illustrated in the present case, the cover element  12  can be pivoted between a closed position, which is illustrated with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a ventilation position which is illustrated with reference to  FIG. 3 , and a lowered displacement position, which is illustrated with reference to  FIG. 4  and in which the cover element  12  is movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In the closed position illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the cover element completely covers the roof opening. In the ventilation position illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the rear edge of the cover element  12  is raised above the level of a rear, fixed roof region. In the lowered position illustrated with reference to  FIG. 4 , the cover element  12  is lowered into a “displacement position” in which it can move under a rear, fixed roof region. 
     The adjustment device which is arranged on the right in the direction of travel and to which the cover element  12  is attached via its fastening tabs  18 , which are formed on the right-hand edge, is designed mirror-symmetrically to the adjustment device illustrated on the left in the direction of travel in the drawing and is therefore not explained in more detail. 
     The carrier element  26  is formed from a punched sheet and constitutes a pivoting or deployment arm for the cover element  12 . The lower edge of the carrier element  26  has a substantially T-shaped guide web  30  which serves as a guide link, has a substantially downwardly sloping profile, as viewed from the vehicle rear, and interacts with the drive carriage  24 . The guide web  30  is insert molded with an insert molding made from a plastic having favorable sliding properties. 
     The drive carriage  24 , which engages with a claw section  32 , which optionally forms an upper sliding surface for the guide web  30 , around the guide web  30  of the carrier element  26  is a plastic injection molded part which is provided on both sides with a sliding section  34  via which the drive carriage  24  is guided in guide tracks of the relevant guide rail  20 . That side of the sliding section  34  which is on the outside with respect to the longitudinal center plane of the drive carriage  24  has spring tabs  36  which are formed integrally, serve to compensate for tolerances in the transverse direction of the vehicle and are illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
     As can be gathered from  FIG. 6 , the drive carriage  24  has a guide section  38  which is formed integrally therewith and forms a lower sliding surface for the guide web  30  and is formed by a wall which bounds the upper side of a cavity  40 . The wall forming the guide section  38  is elastically deformable, and therefore the running or active surface of the guide web  30 , which surface is arranged on the lower side, is spring-mounted, and therefore tolerances can be absorbed and forces in the vertical direction of the vehicle can be damped. 
     The drive carriage  24  can be designed as a two-component injection molded part, wherein a first component which forms the guide section  38  and the claw section  32  is designed in an optimized manner with respect to the sliding pairing with the plastic which surrounds the guide web  30  of the carrier element  26 . 
     The guide section  38  is divided into three subregions  42 ,  44  and  46  which are arranged consecutively in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, are each inclined in relation to one another and of which the subregion  42  is assigned a section  48  assigned to the closed position of the cover element  12 , the subregion  44  is assigned to a section  50  assigned to the ventilation position, and the subregion  46  is assigned to a subregion  52  of the guide web  30  of the carrier element  26 , which subregion is assigned to the lowered displacement position. By means of the subregions  42 ,  44  and  46  which are tilted with respect to one another, optimized contact behavior between the guide section  38 , which is formed on the drive carriage  24 , and the lower side or active surface of the guide web  30  of the carrier element  26  can be achieved in each pivoting phase of the cover element  12 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates various embodiments for optimizing the prestressing which is exerted on the carrier element  26  by the guide section  38  of the drive carriage  24 . Firstly, it is possible to design the active surface  54 , which is arranged on the lower side of the carrier element  26 , with an arched cross section in the transverse direction of the carrier element  26 . Secondly, it is possible, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , to design surfaces  56  and  58  which bound the guide section  38  to be curved or arched in the transverse direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible to insert a damping element  60  into the cavity  40 , the upper side  62  of which damping element has a curved cross section in the transverse direction of the guide rail  20 , that cross section consequently additionally having an over-arched surface  62  providing prestressing. Depending on requirements, the technically most expedient and cost-effective solution with regard to the prestressing in the vertical direction of the vehicle can be found by appropriate configuration of the above-described curvatures in combination or else in each case on their own. 
     In order to fix the damping element  60  in the cavity  40 , a groove  64  is arranged on the lower side of the damping element  60 , said groove running in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a web-like projection  66  of the drive carriage  44  engaging in said groove in the installed position. 
     The damping element  60  which consists, for example, of EPDM, TPE, NBR or the like, is illustrated in the installed position thereof, in which it is arranged in the cavity  40 , with reference to  FIG. 9 . As can be gathered from  FIG. 9 , the wall forming the guide section  38  rests directly on the damping element  60  such that drive forces admitted to the drive carriage  24  by the carrier element  26  can be directly damped. 
     The embodiment, which is illustrated in  FIG. 10 , of a drive carriage  24 ′ corresponds substantially to that according to  FIG. 6  but differs therefrom in that the lower side of the drive carriage  24 ′ has a slot  68  into which a leaf spring  70  is inserted via a foot section  72 , said leaf spring having a sliding section  74  which is supported on a sliding surface  76  of the guide rail  20 . The leaf spring  70  is arranged below the guide section  78  of the drive carriage  24 , on which guide section the guide web  30  of the carrier element  26  rests. The sliding surface  76  lies between the guide tracks, which are formed on the guide rail  20 , for the sliding sections  34  on both sides of the drive carriage  24 ′. Forces acting on the drive carriage  24 ′ in the vertical direction of the vehicle can therefore be introduced directly into the guide rail  20 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a further embodiment of a drive carriage  24 ″ which differs from the above-described drive carriage in that it is formed from a drive carriage body  78  which is designed as a plastic injection molded part and has a recess  80  into which an insert  82 , which is likewise designed as a plastic structural member, is latched via latching lugs  84  and  86  which engage in corresponding recesses  88  and  90  in the drive carriage body  78 . The upper boundary wall of the insert  82  forms a guide section  38  for the guide web  30  of the carrier element  26  and has a cavity  40  which is likewise filled by a damping element  60 . The function of the guide section  38 , which here has two subregions or guide surfaces  42 ,  44  which are tilted with respect to each other, corresponds to that of the guide section of the above-described exemplary embodiments. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a further embodiment of a drive carriage, which embodiment substantially corresponds to that according to  FIG. 11  but differs therefrom in that the insert  82 ′, which is designed as a plastic structural member, is supported on a sliding surface of the guide rail via base surface regions  92 . The insert  82 ′ is guided movably in a recess  80  in the drive carriage body  78  at right angles to the sliding surface of the guide rail. The insert  82 ′ is not fixed in the drive carriage  24 ″. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a further embodiment of a drive carriage  24 ″″, the function and manner of operation of which substantially corresponds to those of the above-described exemplary embodiments but differ from the exemplary embodiment according to  FIG. 12  in that a wall forming a guide section  38 ″ is of double-walled design in some regions, and the sub-walls of the double-walled guide section  38 ″ are connected to one another by webs  94 . 
       FIGS. 14 to 16  illustrate a variant embodiment of an adjustment device  22 ′, which substantially corresponds to that according to  FIG. 9  but differs in that the damping element  60  serving as a buffer has a projection  96  which is arranged outside the drive carriage body and on which the locking lever  28  rests in the lowered displacement position of the cover element  12 . The locking lever  28  can therefore rest thereon without annoying noises. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 List of reference numbers 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 10 
                 Tilt and slide sun roof 
               
               
                 12 
                 Cover element 
               
               
                 14 
                 Glass body 
               
               
                 16 
                 Frame 
               
               
                 18 
                 Fastening tabs 
               
               
                 20 
                 Guide rail 
               
               
                 22 
                 Adjustment device 
               
               
                 24 
                 Drive carriage 
               
               
                 26 
                 Carrier element 
               
               
                 28 
                 Locking lever 
               
               
                 30 
                 Guide web 
               
               
                 32 
                 Claw section 
               
               
                 34 
                 Sliding section 
               
               
                 36 
                 Spring tabs 
               
               
                 38 
                 Guide section 
               
               
                 40 
                 Cavity 
               
               
                 42 
                 Subregion 
               
               
                 44 
                 Subregion 
               
               
                 46 
                 Subregion 
               
               
                 48 
                 Section 
               
               
                 50 
                 Section 
               
               
                 52 
                 Section 
               
               
                 54 
                 Active surfaces 
               
               
                 56 
                 Surface 
               
               
                 58 
                 Surface 
               
               
                 60 
                 Damping element 
               
               
                 62 
                 Upper side 
               
               
                 64 
                 Groove 
               
               
                 66 
                 Projection 
               
               
                 68 
                 Slot 
               
               
                 70 
                 Leaf spring 
               
               
                 72 
                 Foot section 
               
               
                 74 
                 Sliding section 
               
               
                 76 
                 Sliding surface 
               
               
                 78 
                 Drive carriage body 
               
               
                 80 
                 Recess 
               
               
                 82 
                 Insert 
               
               
                 84 
                 Latching lug 
               
               
                 86 
                 Latching lug 
               
               
                 88 
                 Recess 
               
               
                 90 
                 Recess 
               
               
                 92 
                 Base surface region 
               
               
                 94 
                 Webs 
               
               
                 96 
                 Projection

Technology Classification (CPC): 1