Patent ID: 8550533

Claim:
A horizontal folding type sunroof apparatus comprising: a sunroof panel that divides a roof panel, except for left and right side fillers of the roof of a vehicle, into a base panel and at least one or more panels, and is fully opened such that the divided panels are stacked horizontally with the base panel and received in a trunk room; and a link unit that moves the base panel by using power input with the base panel connected with the divided panels, allows the divided panels to be folded and horizontally stacked in several steps with at least one or more gaps with respect to the base panel, and generates movement for sequentially unfolding the divided panels from the base panel, wherein the sunroof panel divides the roof panel into a middle panel and a front panel extending to the front portion of the vehicle, with a rear panel positioned at the trunk room as the base panel, and the rear panel, the middle panel and the front panel are connected by the link unit, wherein the link unit includes: a driving link that is hinged to the roof of the vehicle and receives power to move the rear panel; an interlink that is pulled from the driving link to move up/down the middle panel and move the middle panel to the rear panel or unfolds the middle panel from the rear panel; and a driven link that is pulled from the interlink to move up/down the front panel and moves the front panel to the middle panel or unfolds the front panel from the middle panel, and wherein the driving link includes: a first panel support rod that is hinged to the roof of the vehicle; an input rod that makes movement by using the input, power; a first panel support bracket that generates movement of the rear panel about the first panel support rod by the movement by the input rod; and a first coupling rod that moves up/down by rotation generated at an end thereof by the movement due to the operation of the input rod.