Patent ID: 8388050

Claim:
A roof apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a driving shoe provided at an edge portion in a vehicle width direction of an opening portion formed on a roof portion of the vehicle to be movable in a front-rear direction of the vehicle along a guide rail; a driven shoe provided movably in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the guide rail; a support member rotatably connected to the driven shoe and interoperating with the driving shoe for supporting a movable panel opening and closing the opening portion; an engaging groove provided at the guide rail and being in communication with an inside of the guide rail at a rear portion of the guide rail relative to the vehicle; a check member rotatably connected to the driven shoe; an engaging projection provided at the check member for stopping a movement of the check member in the rearward direction of the vehicle along the guide rail by fitting into the engaging groove and for canceling the stopping of the movement of the check member in the rearward direction of the vehicle along the guide rail by being disengaged from the engaging groove and entering into the guide rail; a cam recessed portion provided at the check member for maintaining the fitting state of the engaging projection relative to the engaging groove until the movable panel starts sliding by inserting a guide pin provided at the driving shoe thereto and for rotating the check member to disengage the engaging projection from the engaging groove when the movable panel starts sliding; a restriction portion provided at the driving shoe and supporting the check member for restricting the disengagement of the engaging projection from the engaging groove during a tilting operation of the movable panel from a closed state; wherein the movable panel is tilted from the closed state in response to a movement of the driving shoe in the rearward direction of the vehicle, and a sliding operation is performed consecutively.