Abstract:
A roof module includes an outer skin having a slot which receives a holding element for a lid. The lid is movable between a closed position and an open position. The roof module further includes a rigid covering element movable between a closed position in which the covering element closes the slot and an open position in which the covering element clears the slot to allow entry of the holding element of the lid.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to German Patent Applicant Number DE 102 38 064.3 filed on Aug. 20, 2002.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to a roof module including an outer skin having at least one slot that receives a holding element for a lid movable between a closed position and an open position.  
           [0003]    A roof module having a lid is disclosed in the German Utility Model 298 20 613. The lid is part of a sliding roof system. In the open position, the lid clears a roof opening in the roof module and lies on the outside of the roof module in the manner of a spoiler.  
           [0004]    The lid is connected to a holding element movable in a guide rail of the roof module to ensure stable guidance of the lid. The holding element is connected to the front edge of the lid as seen in direction of travel and the rear edge of the lid. To ensure that the lid can be moved sufficiently to the rear and completely clear the roof opening, despite the fact that the holding element is provided at the rear edge of the lid, the roof module includes a slot which can receive the holding element. An elastically deformable seal is provided to seal the slot and to prevent excessive wind noise, strong ingress of water, and soiling. The seal is mounted at the lateral edge of the slot and is locally urged to the side by the holding element when the holding element immerges into the slot.  
           [0005]    A disadvantage of the known construction is that the flexible seal does not completely cover the slot and is not completely flush. Additionally, it is difficult to adapt the color of the seal to the color of the roof module. This can be a drawback if there are high requirements on the optical appearance of the seal. The object of the invention consists in developing a roof module as mentioned above to the effect that even the high optical appearance requirements can be satisfied.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The roof module of the present invention includes a rigid covering element movable between a closed position in which the covering element closes a slot and an open position in which the covering element clears the slot to allow entry of a holding element of the lid. The rigid covering element can terminate flush with the edges of the slot. The covering element can be adapted to the course of the outer skin and can also extend in a three-dimensionally curved form. The covering element is dimensionally stable, and the precision of the termination with the edges of the slot is also maintained over a long period of operation and is not subjected to wear.  
           [0007]    Preferably, in the open position, the covering element is disposed below the outer skin by a connecting link guide mounted below the outer skin. The covering element is movable in the connecting link guide. This allows the covering element to be easily moved under the outer skin where the covering element neither disturbs the optical appearance of the roof module nor causes wind noise, for example.  
           [0008]    Preferably, the covering element includes a body and a strip protruding from the body which engages in the slot. The broader body provides two drip rails to collect and discharge water in a controlled way.  
           [0009]    Two seals can be mounted at the body for sealing. The seals rest against the outer skin when the covering element is in the closed position. Additionally, two seals are preferably mounted at the strip and rest against the outer skin when the covering element is in the closed position. Any water that penetrates to the inside between the strip and the outer skin, despite the seals, is collected by the drip rail. The seal between the body and the outer skin prevents water from advancing further into the interior of the roof module.  
           [0010]    The covering element can be made of any suitable material having a low weight and that provides the desired high dimensional stability, such as metal or plastics. Therefore, the covering element can easily be painted. If the covering element is made of plastics, it can also be dyed.  
           [0011]    When the lid is moved into the open position and the holding element enters into the slot, the holding element engages a contact surface of the covering element to move the covering element from the closed position into the open position. In this case, a spring is preferably provided to urge the covering element into the closed position. When closing the lid, the covering element follows the holding element and automatically returns to the closed position. Alternately, a coupling formation can be provided at the covering element which can be engaged by a carrier, to move the covering element. In this case, the covering element is directly retracted from the holding element and back into the closed position.  
       
    
    
       [0012]    These and other features of the present invention will be best understood from the following specification and drawings.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    The invention will subsequently be described with reference to a preferred embodiment which is represented in the attached drawings, in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view of a roof module in accordance with the invention having two lids in the closed position;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 shows the roof module of FIG. 1, with the two lids in the open position;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the roof module of FIG. 2;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 shows an enlarged schematic top view of the region IV of FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view of the region shown in FIG. 4 with the covering element in the closed position;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 shows a section along the plane VI-VI of FIG. 5;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 shows a view corresponding to the view of FIG. 5 with the covering element in a slightly open condition;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 shows a section along the plane VIII-VIII of FIG. 7; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 shows a view corresponding to the view of FIG. 7 with the covering element in a more open position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 shows a roof module  10  having a first lid  12 , a second lid  14 , and a stationary roof element  16 . The first and second lids  12  and  14  are moveable between a closed position (as shown in FIG. 1) in which the lids  12  and  14  close a roof opening  18  of the vehicle and an open position (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) in which the lids  12  and  14  clear the roof opening  18 . In the open position, the second lid  14  lies below the stationary roof element  16  and the first lid  12  lies above the stationary roof element  16 .  
         [0024]    The roof module  10  includes two guide rails  20  that allow movement of the first lid  12  and the second lid  14 . The guide rails  20  are disposed below the surface defined by an outer skin  22  of the roof module  10 , i.e. by the stationary outer surfaces of the roof module  10 . Various holding elements mounted on the two lids  12  and  14  are moveably accommodated in the guide rails  20 . Only the front holding elements  24  and the rear holding elements  26  of the first lid  12  are shown (see FIG. 3). The exact structure of the guide rails  20 , as well as the way of adjusting the holding elements for the two lids  12  and  14  in the guide rail  20 , are not relevant for the understanding of the invention.  
         [0025]    Two slots  28  are provided in the outer skin  22  of the roof module  10  and along the lateral edges of the stationary roof element  16 . The two front holding elements  24  and the two rear holding elements  26  can enter into the slots  28  when the first lid  12  is moved rearwardly into the open position in which the lid  12  is located above the stationary roof element  16 .  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 shows a slot  28  proceeding from the roof opening  18  and located between the roof element  16  and the portion of the outer skin  22  disposed laterally of the roof element  16 . The slot  28  extends as far to the rear as required for the rear holding element  26  to move the first lid  12  to the open position.  
         [0027]    The roof module  10  further includes a covering element  30  (also shown in FIG. 6) including a body  32  having a generally rectangular cross-section and a strip  34  having a rectangular cross-section that centrally protrudes upwards from the body  32 . The covering element  30  is movably mounted below the outer skin  22  or the stationary roof element  16 . The covering element  30  is moveable between a closed position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in which the strip  34  engages in the slot  28  and terminates flush with the outer skin  22  on the outside of the roof module  10  and an open position in which the covering element  30  is moved to the rear, in the direction of the arrow P of FIG. 4, and under the outer skin  22 .  
         [0028]    The covering element  30  can be made of any suitable material having a low weight and that provides the desired high dimensional stability, such as metal or plastic. Therefore, the covering element  30  can easily be painted. If the covering element  30  is made of plastics, it can also be dyed.  
         [0029]    Two seals  36  are mounted on the body  32  of the covering element  30  and two seals  38  are mounted laterally on the strip  34 . Alternately, each seal can be a circumferential seal. The seals  36  and  38  rest against the bottom surface of the outer skin  22  when the covering element  30  is in the closed position. Two drip rails  40  are provided around the strip  34  in which water can collect and, despite the seals  36 , enter through the gap  28  into the space between the outer skin  22  and the covering element  30 . Alternately, a single circumferential drip rail can be utilized. An outlet (not shown) can also be provided to discharge collected water in a controlled way.  
         [0030]    The covering element  30  is movably mounted below the outer skin  22  by two connecting link guides  42 . Each connecting link guide  42  includes a first connecting link  44  in each of two mounting angles  46 . The two mounting angles  46  are mounted on both sides of the covering element  30  and on the bottom surface of the outer skin  22 . A first connecting link bolt  48  firmly mounted in the covering element  30  engages each of the two first two connecting links  44 .  
         [0031]    The connecting link guide  42  also includes two second connecting links  50  formed in the vertical side walls of the body  32  of the covering element  30 . A second connecting link bolt  52  is firmly accommodated in the corresponding mounting angle  46  and engages in each of the second connecting links  50 . Both the first connecting link  44  and the second connecting link  50  have an inclined portion in the region which engages the corresponding connecting link bolt  48  and  52  when the covering element  30  is in the closed position. Therefore, when the covering element  30  is adjusted from the closed position to the rear in the direction of the arrow P, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the covering element  30  is first adjusted to the rear and downwards at an angle below the plane of the outer skin  22  and then under the plane of the outer skin  22 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 shows the covering element  30  moved to the rear by about half the maximum possible distance. The covering element  30  can be moved until the first connecting link bolt  48  reaches the end of the first connecting link  44  in the position  48 ′ as shown in FIG. 9. In this completely open position, the slot  28  is completely cleared, allowing the two holding elements  24 ,  26  to freely enter into the slot  22 .  
         [0033]    The covering element  30  can be moved from the closed position into the open position such that the rear holding element  26  or a carriage connected therewith, which is accommodated in the guide rail, rests against a contact surface of the covering element  30  and moves the covering element  30  directly to the rear. Preferably, a spring (not shown) urges the covering element  30  into the closed position, ensuring that the covering element  30  automatically returns to its closed position when the rear holding element  26  leaves the slot  28 . Alternately, a carrier coupled to the covering element  30  may be provided at the rear holding element  26  to pull the covering element  30  both to the rear into the open position and to the front into the closed position.  
         [0034]    The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.