Patent ID: 8398163

Claim:
A roof apparatus, which is configured so as to open and close a movable panel provided at an opening portion of a roof panel of a vehicle and which includes a tilt-up mode and a slide mode as opening and closing operation modes, the roof apparatus comprising: a guide rail fixed at the roof panel and extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle; a drive shoe driven so as to move along the guide rail in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; a functional bracket supporting the movable panel; a front link member connected at a front portion of the functional bracket so as to be rotatable relative to the functional bracket and including a connecting portion rotatably connected at the front portion of the functional bracket, an engagement portion, which is located rearwardly of the connecting portion in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and is engaged with the drive shoe so as to be rotatable relative to the drive shoe, and a supporting portion, which is located forwardly of the engagement portion and is supported by the guide rail so as to be rotatable relative to the guide rail; and a lifting mechanism connected at a rear portion of the functional bracket and configured so as to lift the rear portion of the functional bracket in response to a movement of the drive shoe, wherein: the guide rail is provided with a first guide portion, which is configured so as to guide the supporting portion to be displaced in response to an opening and closing operation of the movable panel and is closely located upwardly and downwardly of the supporting portion of the front link member in a vertical direction while the movable panel is in a fully-closed state; the first guide portion includes an inclined portion and a front portion; the front portion is provided in an end of the inclined portion and includes an upper support surface and a lower support surface that each extend in a horizontal direction and face each other while keeping a distance therebetween in the vertical direction; the supporting portion is located in the front portion of the first guide portion while the movable panel is in the fully-closed state; and the drive shoe is provided with a second guide portion, which is configured so as to guide the engagement portion to be displaced in response to the opening and closing operation of the movable panel and is closely located upwardly and downwardly of the engagement portion of the front link member in the vertical direction while the movable panel is in the fully-closed state.