Abstract:
A wind deflector for a vehicle roof comprises a flexible deflecting element attached between a base element and a raising device. The base element is mountable on a vehicle roof, and the raising device is pivotably connected to the base element to raise and lower the deflecting element. The deflecting element is air-permeable to allow air to flow through it and is flexible enough to be folded when the raising device is lowered. A resilient member biases the raising device in the raised position, stabilizing the flexible deflecting element and holding it taut enough to counteract pressure variations in a vehicle interior near a roof opening.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    The present invention claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102 10 142.6, filed Mar. 7, 2002.  
         TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0002]    The invention relates to vehicle roof devices, and more particularly to a wind deflector that can be used with a sliding vehicle roof system.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Sliding roof systems can be used to improve ventilation and air flow in a vehicle. If the vehicle is traveling at low to moderate speeds while the sliding roof is open, however, periodical pressure variations may appear in the interior of the vehicle. These periodical pressure variations creating a “thrumming” noise that is unpleasant for people in the vehicle.  
           [0004]    Wind deflectors have been designed to avoid these pressure variation problems and eliminate the noise accompanying the pressure variations. One example of a known wind deflector structure is shown in DE 40 39 485 C1. The wind deflector is usually arranged on the front edge of the roof opening exposed by a cover of the sliding roof system, where the front edge is viewed from the direction of forward vehicle travel. The wind deflector may also be attached so that it is transferable from a retracted position, where the wind deflector is situated underneath the outer face of the vehicle roof, to a raised position when the cover of the sliding roof system is opened.  
           [0005]    Known wind deflector structures are usually rigid with a perforated, net-like portion over a large part of the wind deflector&#39;s surface area. The perforations allow air to flow through the wind deflector and form a finely turbulent air layer near the roof opening. This turbulent air layer counteracts pressure variations generated by the roof opening. However, currently known wind deflectors occupy a large amount of space and have a complex construction, making installation of the wind deflector expensive.  
           [0006]    There is a desire for a wind deflector that has a simplified construction and occupies less space than currently known wind deflectors.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The invention relates to a new wind deflector structure for a vehicle roof. The inventive wind deflector includes a base element that is mountable to the vehicle roof and a raising device that is pivotably connected to the base element. The wind deflector further comprises a flexible deflecting element attached to the base element and the raising device. The flexible deflecting element is made of a material that allows air to flow through it.  
           [0008]    The inventive wind deflector also includes at least one resilient biasing member, such as a spring, that biases the raising device into a raised position to stretch the deflecting element between the base element and the raising device and form a substantially rigid wind deflecting structure. Because the deflecting element is flexible, it can be easily folded when not in use to save space. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wind deflector according to one embodiment of the invention in a raised condition and mounted to a vehicle roof;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a front view of the wind deflector of FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a rear view of the wind deflector of FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the wind deflector of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a perspective rear view of the wind deflector of FIG. 1 in a raised position;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the wind deflector of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a biasing member in the inventive wind deflector;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wind deflector in a retracted position;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the wind deflector in a retracted position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]    Generally, a wind deflector according to the invention incorporates a flexible deflecting element that allows air to flow through it. The flexible deflecting element is attached to a base element mountable on a vehicle roof and to a raising device connected to the base element. The raising device and be raised and lowered to stretch and fold, respectively, the flexible deflecting element.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrate one embodiment of the inventive wind deflector and its operating environment in more detail. A vehicle roof  5  has a roof opening  7  formed therein. The roof opening  7  can be closed with a cover in a sliding roof system (not shown). A mounting frame  9  that supports functional parts of the sliding roof system extends along the edge of the roof opening  7 .  
         [0020]    A base element  10  of the inventive wind deflector is mounted to the mounting frame  9 . In one embodiment, the base element  10  is made of plastic and generally has a U-shape. A middle portion of the U-shaped base element  10  extends along a front edge of the roof opening  7 , and each of the two legs of the base element  10  extend along a front portion of lateral edges of the roof opening  7 .  
         [0021]    The wind deflector also includes a U-shaped raising device  14  (FIGS. 6 and 7) connected to the base element  10  via a resilient member  12 . In one embodiment, the resilient member  12  is a wire leg spring having two legs, with one leg of the spring  12  attached to a leg of the base element  10  and the other leg of the spring  12  attached to a leg of the raising device  14 . The raising device  14  itself can also be made of plastic and have approximately the same profile as the base element  10 . In one embodiment, a reinforcing element  15 , such as a metal strip, may be attached to the raising device  14 . A reinforcing element may also be attached to the base element  10  instead of or in addition to the reinforcement on the raising device  14 .  
         [0022]    The leg spring  12  shown in FIG. 7 is a particularly simple construction because it is formed from a single wire and does not require multiple articulated pieces. The resilient member  12  may also be in the form of a plate spring.  
         [0023]    Regardless of shape of the resilient member  12 , it can be mechanically latched to the base element  10  and the raising device  14  or it can be even be embedded into the base element  10  and the raising device  14  during manufacturing. For example, if the resilient member  12  is incorporated into the base element  10  and/or the raising device  14  during an injection molding process, this can minimize manufacturing expenses because the entire wind deflector can be produced in one step.  
         [0024]    The leg spring  12  acts as a hinge between the base element  10  and the raising device  14  and biases the raising device  14  into a raised position above the vehicle roof  5 . FIGS. 1 through 4 show the raising device  14  in the raised position. If a force opposing the biasing force of the spring  12  is applied on the raising device  14 , the raising device can be transferred into a retracted position, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. When the raising device  14  is in the retracted position, the raising device  14  is received underneath an outer face of the vehicle roof  5  in the mounting frame  9 . The raising device  14  can be moved from the raised position into the retracted position. For example, the cover of the sliding roof system or any known guiding structure runs along the legs of the raising device  14  and urges the legs of the raising device  14  from their upward, obliquely extending position downward to the retracted position.  
         [0025]    A flexible deflecting element  16  extends between the base element  10  and the raising device  14 . In one embodiment, the deflecting element  16  can be a flexible, substantially planar or sheet-like material having air-permeable properties that allow air to pass through the material. Possible deflecting element  16  materials include fabric, foil or plastic. Other sheet materials having air-permeable properties may also be used. The deflecting element  16  can be attached to the base element  10  and the raising device  14  via any known means. In one embodiment, the deflecting element  16  is incorporated into the base element  10  and the raising device  14  during an injection-molding process.  
         [0026]    As noted above, the spring  12  biases the raising device  14  into a raised position. In this raised position, the deflecting element  16  is stretched taut between the base element  10  and the raising device  14 , causing the deflecting element  16  to act as if it is made from a rigid material. The biasing force of the spring  12  and the tension in the deflecting element  16  provide the stability necessary for proper operation of the wind deflector, but the flexibility of the deflecting element  16  still allows the element  16  to be folded into a compact shape when the raising device  14  is lowered to the retracted position. As a result, the inventive wind deflector has the same wind deflecting characteristics as rigid wind deflectors without their associated complexity and space occupation.  
         [0027]    Structural elements  18  may be applied to or incorporated directly into the deflecting element  16  by any desired process, such as injection molding. In one embodiment, the structural elements  18  are made of a flexible plastic material and can be pre-curved or pretensioned to maintain the deflecting element  16  in a desired shape when it is folded. The structural elements  18  are also useful to support the deflecting element  16  if the spring  12  does not pull the deflecting element  16  completely taut between the raising device  14  and the base element  10 . By incorporating the structural elements  18 , the shape of the deflecting element  16  when it is raised and folded is consistently reproducible even after the raising device  14  has been repeatedly raised and retracted over time. Thus, the structural elements  18  provide additional support for the deflecting element  16  both when the deflecting element  16  is folded and when the element  16  is raised.  
         [0028]    Thus, the inventive wind deflector incorporates a flexible, rather than rigid, deflecting element, allowing the deflecting element to be folded into a compact shape when not in use. This flexible structure reduces the space taken up by the wind deflector and simplifies its overall structure. Further, because the inventive wind deflector uses the biasing force of a resilient member to stretch the deflecting element in a raised position, the invention creates a rigid wind deflector without requiring the deflecting element itself to be a rigid material.  
         [0029]    It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.