Patent Abstract:
A glass height adjuster for a sunroof assembly using a mounting bracket extension adapter. The present invention can include an extension adapter having a countersunk first opening on the lower portion, a second opening in the upper portion spaced a predetermined distance from the first opening to compensate for a vertical variance of the mounted movable surface to a vehicle roof; and the bracket configured to be placed and attached between a sunroof mounting bracket and a sunroof mechanism arm, whereby function of the movable surface is maintained. Additional features can include a lip on a lower edge to conform to a lower edge of the mechanism arm, or a tab to retain the mechanism arm from a first and second side of the mechanism arm.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to sunroof assemblies, and particularly to a sunroof mounting bracket extender to allow greater flexibility of glass height adjustment relative to a sunroof mechanism during installation. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    In the art, sunroofs and other movable surfaces installed in an opening of a vehicle roof are well known. Through the years, sunroofs have typically been custom developed for a particular vehicle. Also, various mechanisms have been developed to allow a movable and tiltable and glass panel or panels. These mechanisms also necessitated the need to develop collateral features such as sun shades, frames to maintain vehicle integrity, weather seals, and wind and water management systems. Collectively all these components can be assembled into a manufactured sunroof module. Again, these features often require customization to particular vehicle applications. Customization adds to the cost of a sunroof system and ultimately to the cost of a vehicle. A sunroof manufacturer or distributor also carries the cost of a large inventory of parts, which increases up-front expenses and an increased storage space requirement. Further, a custom sunroof application takes time to develop and manufacture, adding delay to implementation and overall cost. 
         [0003]    Traditionally, sunroof assemblies allow for small vertical adjustments of the position of the movable panel (e.g., the glass) relative to the sunroof assembly frame. This adjustment can compensate for minor installation variations, vehicle roof sweep (i.e., curve) variations, or glass panel sweep variations. This can allow an installer to ensure the edge of the glass is flush with the adjacent roof, thus providing a more aerodynamic and aesthetic appearance. 
         [0004]    While minor vertical adjustments to sunroof glass relative to its frame show advances in the art, further improvements are possible and desired. In some applications the variation of a vehicle sunroof sweep and the variation of the sweep of a sunroof module are so great that an adjustment to vertical aspect of the sunroof glass panel cannot compensate for the difference. A greater range of adjustment could thus allow application of a single sunroof assembly to a greater range of vehicle applications and vehicle sweeps. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0005]    Accordingly, the present invention provides a glass height adjuster for a sunroof assembly. The present invention can be practiced by providing a sunroof mounting bracket extension adapter. This allows greater flexibility of vertical sunroof adjustment relative to a sunroof mechanism during installation. The present invention allows application of a single sunroof assembly to a greater range of vehicle applications and a greater range of vehicle roof sweeps (curves). 
         [0006]    In one embodiment, the present invention has a movable surface (such as a sunroof) extension adapter, having a countersunk first opening on the lower portion, a second opening in the upper portion spaced a predetermined distance from the first opening to compensate for a vertical variance of the mounted movable surface to a vehicle roof; and the bracket configured to be placed and attached between a sunroof mounting bracket and a sunroof mechanism arm, whereby full function of the movable surface is maintained. The predetermined distance can be 10 mm. 
         [0007]    Additional features of the present invention can include a lip on a lower edge to conform to a lower edge of the mechanism arm, or a tab to retain the mechanism arm from a first and second side of the mechanism arm. Or, the lower portion can have a distal edge that conforms to the contour of the mechanism arm. 
         [0008]    The present invention can also be a method of flushing out a movable surface to an adjacent opening of a top edge of a vehicle roof, including attaching a sunroof module to the roof by attaching a module mounting pin to a roof bracket, the sunroof module having a movable surface attached to a bracket, which is attached to a mechanism arm slidably retained within a module sliding track; measuring a vertical distance of the movable surface beneath the roof top edge; and inserting an extension adapter between the bracket and the mechanism arm, the extension adapter having a front side, a back side, an upper portion, and a lower portion, a countersunk first opening on the lower portion, a second opening in the upper portion spaced the vertical distance from the first opening to compensate, whereby full function of the movable surface is maintained. The measuring of the vertical distance can be accurate to +/−2 mm. 
         [0009]    Other features of the present invention will become more apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0010]    The foregoing features, as well as other features, will become apparent with reference to the description and figures below, in which like numerals represent elements and in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates an extension adapter according to the present invention in an exploded view of a sunroof mechanism arm. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates an extension adapter according to the present invention in a perspective view of a sunroof mechanism arm. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates an extension adapter according to the present invention in a reverse angle perspective view of a sunroof mechanism arm. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates an extension adapter according to the present invention in a forward facing perspective view of a sunroof installed in a vehicle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross sectional view of an extension adapter according to the present invention view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 4  (headliner removed). 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cutaway view of an extension adapter according to the present invention in a perspective view of a sunroof mechanism arm taken along lines A-A in  FIG. 4  (headliner removed). 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  illustrates a prior art sunroof mechanism arm in an exploded view without an extension adapter according to the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  illustrates a prior art sunroof mechanism arm in a perspective view without an extension adapter according to the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates a sunroof installed in a vehicle without an extension adapter according to the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  illustrates a cross sectional view of an installed sunroof without an extension adaptor of the present invention taken along line B-B in  FIG. 9 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of an extension adapter of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of an alternate shape of an extension adapter of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of an alternate shape of an extension adapter of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    The present invention provides a movable surface mounting bracket extension adapter to allow greater flexibility of vertical sunroof adjustment relative to a sunroof mechanism during installation. The present invention allows application of a single sunroof assembly module to a greater range of vehicle applications and a greater range of vehicle roof sweeps (curves) and movable panel sweeps. While the present invention is described in terms of a glass sunroof application for a motor vehicle, it is understood that the scope of the present invention is intended to cover all movable surfaces in any application where a flush fit is desired relative to adjacent supporting structure. 
         [0025]    The need for greater flexibility of the vertical adjustment of a sunroof relative to a sunroof module is evident by the greater demand for standardization of a sunroof module that can be applied to greater variations of applications. For example, there are great variations of the front to back and side to side sweep of different vehicle roofs. A sunroof module that houses all the components of a typical contemporary motorized sunroof is manufactured to be attached on the inside of the vehicle roof at fairly typical points along its periphery as allowed by sound engineering practices. Naturally, the greater the curve of the roof, the lower the module would be attached relative to the crown of the curve. Since the module sits lower in this situation, the edge of the sunroof glass would meet the opening of the vehicle in a lower position as well. It is desirable, if not necessary, for aesthetics and aerodynamics to position the edge of the glass sunroof flush with the roof. 
         [0026]    It is also desirable for a sunroof module manufacturer to limit the amount of customization needed to accommodate the widest variety of contemporary vehicle roof sweep variations. In current module designs, slight variations are possible, but large variations are not possible without potentially compromising strength and integrity of the module. The present invention allows for greater variation of the vertical height of sunroof glass relative to its module. 
         [0027]    The additional variation of the present invention is accomplished by providing extension adapters configured to be attached, if needed, between the sunroof mechanism arms and the glass panel attachment tabs on the mounting bracket for sunroof. The extension adapters are configured so as not to interfere with the function of the mechanism arms used to move and tilt the sunroof. The adapters have apertures to attach to the mechanism arms at one end and an additional set of apertures to attach to the sunroof mounting bracket at the other. The variation of distance between the sets of holes does not affect the function of the mechanism arms. Therefore, when an application requires a variation in the amount of extension, the adapter would only need to change the dimension of the distance between the sets of holes. This is quite a savings in time and cost over the prior art in that the entire sunroof module and mechanisms do not need to be re-engineered. This provides significant cost savings and reduced development time. 
         [0028]    Turning now to figures,  FIGS. 7-10  show a prior art sunroof mechanism assembly that is part of an overall sunroof module. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a sunroof bracket  44  attaches a mechanism arm  22  by fasteners  24 . The resultant assembly is shown in  FIG. 8  installed in a sliding track  26 . Mounting bracket  44  can be used to mount a vehicle moving surface such as a glass sunroof (not shown). Mechanism arm  22  can be placed within a sliding track  26  to provide desired movement of the sunroof such as tilting or sliding, which are both known in the art. As shown, mounting bracket  44  has openings  28  to allow fasteners  24  to pass through to fasten at point  30  on the mechanism arm. A typical fastener  24  can be a threaded screw that attaches to a threaded bore at point  30  of mechanism arm  22 . The threaded portion of fastener  24  passing through opening  28  is smaller in diameter than opening  28  by, for example, about 2-4 mm. This allows small adjustments to the position of mounting bracket  44  relative to mechanism arm  22 . These adjustments become useful during the installation of a sunroof module to a roof of a vehicle to assure a flush fit of the sunroof, when attached to mounting bracket  44 , relative to a rim  32  of an opening  34  of a vehicle roof  36  (see  FIG. 9 ). 
         [0029]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , a sunroof module  38  is installed on a vehicle in a typical fashion known in the art. Module  38  is attached to roof  36  by a roof bracket  60  by a sunroof module mounting pin  62 . However, as illustrated at  42 , glass sunroof  40  is not flush with rim  32  of roof  36  when mounted to the roof bracket. As discussed above, this variance can be created by a significant increase in the sweep of the roof relative of prior applications designed for installing a given module. In the art a +/−2 mm variance in the height of the sunroof  40  relative to the roof  36  is acceptable. However, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the cross sectional line taken along line B-B of  FIG. 9  shows the variance at an unacceptable level at 42 by, for example, 11 mm. In the past, the alternative in the art was to redesign the sunroof module to overcome a variance that could not be corrected to within +/−2 mm flush out variance using mounting bracket opening  28  variance. This adds considerable cost to an application and delay in production. Further as roof sweeps increase, the redesign of the sunroof module  38  cannot overcome these variances. 
         [0030]    The present invention provides a quick and easy solution to correct for large flush out variance among many various automotive roof designs while using the same sunroof module  38  without modification. In general, this is accomplished through the addition of an adapter that can be easily developed and adapted for insertion between the sunroof mounting bracket  44  and mechanism arm  22  without adversely affecting performance or integrity of the sunroof module. 
         [0031]    Various embodiments of the present invention adapter  20  are shown in  FIGS. 11-13  and generally indicated as adapter  20   a,    20   b,  and  20   c  respectively. Adapter  20  can have a countersunk opening  46  configured to accept a flat head screw  48  to attach to fastening point  30  of mechanism arm  22  and a second opening  50  configured to allow passage of fasteners  24  to attach to bracket  44 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , dimension  52  is a distance to overcome the flush out variance for an application and can range from at least 3 mm to 15 mm, and even beyond to any dimension that still maintains integrity and functionality of the sunroof module. For illustrative purposes only, dimension  52  distance between openings  50  and  46  can be 10 mm, which would overcome the 11 mm flush out variance  42  shown in  FIG. 10 . Adapter  20  can be configured in a number of variations of sizes, shapes, and materials so long as it can be inserted between mounting bracket  44  and mechanism arm  22 , while allowing full functionality and integrity of the sunroof module. Materials can be stamped sheet metal parts spot welded together, cast iron, milled iron, and the like. Materials can vary using sound engineering principles and so long as functionality and integrity of the sun roof module is maintained. 
         [0032]    Turning to  FIGS. 1-6 , adapter  20   b  is shown in an unassembled sunroof module  38  in  FIG. 1 , while  FIGS. 2 and 3  show adapter  20   b  installed and assembled. It is noted that at point  54  of  FIG. 3  (the reverse angle of  FIG. 2 ), embodiment  20   a  could also be used as it is contoured to match the contours of mechanism arm  22 . Further, embodiment  20   c  could also be applied in this application. A lip  58  can add further attachment stability. Lip  58  can be developed by milling or stamping. Alternatively, the addition of adapter tab  56  could be used in applications where additional lateral support may be indicated, such as when variance dimension  52  is quite high, say for example greater than 15 mm. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  shows a sunroof module  38  with adapter  20   b  installed in the same vehicle roof  36  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . In contrast to  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 4  shows the glass sunroof  40  is now flush with rim  32  of roof  36 . This is more clearly shown in  FIG. 5  as a sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 4 , where the height of glass  40  is now flush with vehicle roof opening  34 . Also shown in  FIG. 6  is a perspective cut-away view along line A-A of  FIG. 4  showing the flush installation. 
         [0034]    While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, the present invention attempts to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1