Patent ID: 7121617

Claim:
An air deflector device for a vehicle having a front edge, a rear edge, a longitudinal midplane, and comprising a windshield, a windshield cross member, a passenger compartment which is selectively covered by a movable roof comprising at least one roof element that overlies the passenger compartment, when the roof is in a closed configuration, and that is retracted towards the rear of the vehicle, when the roof is in a retracted configuration, said air deflector device comprising: a deflector disposed between the windshield cross member and the at least one roof element, said deflector comprising first and second pivots, and being adapted to take up one of: a shutting position, in which said deflector becomes a making up element of the roof when said roof is in said closed configuration; and an opening position which said deflector takes up when the roof is in the retracted configuration, said deflector which has a front edge being then inclined upwards and towards the rear edge of the vehicle, by pivoting about a horizontal pivot axis disposed in the vicinity of said front edge of the deflector; and first and second longitudinal guides disposed symmetrically on a first side and a second side of the longitudinal midplane of the vehicle, a carriage supporting said deflector as the deflector pivots about the horizontal pivot axis and comprising first and second arms respectively pivotally receiving the first and second pivots of the deflector, so that the deflector can pivot about said horizontal pivot axis, and displacement members linking the carriage to the longitudinal guides, and selectively causing said carriage and thus the deflector to move longitudinally along the guides so that when the deflector is in the opening position, said deflector takes up a plurality of translating positions along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle by moving along said longitudinal guides, via the carriage, wherein the displacement members comprise first and second shoes, respectively guided by the first and second longitudinal guides and secured to the respective first and second arms of the carriage, and the carriage comprises a link crosspiece interconnecting the first and second shoes.