Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
  • B60J7/00—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs
  • B60J7/02—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs of sliding type, e.g. comprising guide shoes
  • B60J7/04—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs of sliding type, e.g. comprising guide shoes with rigid plate-like element or elements, e.g. open roofs with harmonica-type folding rigid panels
  • B60J7/047—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs of sliding type, e.g. comprising guide shoes with rigid plate-like element or elements, e.g. open roofs with harmonica-type folding rigid panels movable to overlapping or nested relationship
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
  • B60J7/00—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs
  • B60J7/20—Vehicle storage compartments for roof parts or for collapsible flexible tops

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a retractable roof system for a fixed or mobile structure, in particular for a motor vehicle.
• a retractable roof system for a vehicle consisting of at least two rigid roof panels, respectively a first element of the front and a second central roof element secured to one another by sliding means arranged in such a way that the front panel is movable between a closed position in which it covers the passenger compartment and an open position in which it is, after sliding towards the rear, superimposed on the central panel.
• the aforementioned roof system comprises two parallel slides of arcuate shapes fixed to the vehicle body and each extend between a point close to the front of the central panel and a point close to the bottom of the rear boot of the vehicle and the rear part of the vehicle, the central panel comprising members cooperating with the slides to guide its movement along the latter.
• a drawback to this solution concerns the volume that the folded roof takes up on the space reserved for storage (luggage ...) ? at the rear of the passenger compartment, typically in the rear trunk (whether this trunk is protruding or not).
• the present invention aims to remedy the drawbacks of the above system and to provide a space-saving solution, adaptable to different types of vehicles and achievable in large series.
• the proposed solution is aimed at a vehicle with a sunroof in at least two movable parts which can be stored in the final position a priori substantially horizontally and a tilting rear window (in particular tilt-and-slide) belonging or not to said aforementioned movable parts of roof , said storage position leaving a large storage volume.
• the vehicle concerned has a front and a rear and comprises: a passenger compartment with seats situated towards the rear of the passenger compartment, - a vehicle structure locally defining a roof which has a closable opening and a retractable roof, this roof comprising at least two rigid and movable parts relative to said structure, respectively a first front part and a second rear part, - first displacement elements to which said roof parts are connected during at least one part their movement, between a deployed position, reached by moving forward and in which these parts cover the passenger compartment, substantially aligned one behind the other, and a folded position reached by moving towards the rear of the vehicle and in which said parts are offset from each other and behind the seats, at least some of these roof parts then being arranged in a first storage position, the vehicle being characterized in that it further comprises second displacement elements which engage at least those of said roof parts while they are arranged in their said first position of storage, to move these roof parts if necessary to a second storage position different from the first (and a priori substantially horizontal).
• the second displacement means will preferably be mounted movable relative to the structure of the vehicle and relative to the first displacement means, the roof parts arranged in the first storage position emerging from the first means movement while engaging the second displacement means to be movable from their first position to their second storage position.
• the first and second displacement means respectively comprise first and second slides
• said rigid parts of the first roof part comprise several panels, substantially flat, movable with respect to each other and arranged , in the closed position of the roof, above the passenger compartment, in front of a rear roof element comprising the rear window of the vehicle and 'belonging to said second roof part
• said movable roof panels pass successively in first then in second storage position, successively engaging the first slides then the second slides, which are mounted on the structure, movable relative to the first slides to thus make ' move the roof panels between their said first and second storage positions.
• each set of runners and the second displacement elements which are linked to it further define a first front part of runner extending between a point situated in front of said rear roof part and a point close to the upper edge. from the rear of said seats, and a second part of slide extending, in an inclined position, between substantially said upper edge of the rear of said seats and a point located lower, each second part of slide being mounted movable relative to the structure of the vehicle and to the corresponding first slide part and being linked to the said roof parts concerned, when they arrive in their first folded position and these parts are then engaged with the second slide parts and released from the first parts of slides, to bring these roof parts into their said second superposed storage position.
• compactness and good operating efficiency and reliability must be achieved in the vehicle.
• the invention provides that: - said roof parts comprise at least two said rigid panels, respectively a first front panel and a second central panel, the panels being linked together by connecting means arranged in such a way that the front panel is movable between its unfolded position, reached by moving forwards and in which said panel is above the passenger compartment, in front of the central panel, and an open position reached by moving towards the rear of the vehicle and in which the front and central panels are superimposed substantially horizontally, the latter being movable, by cooperation with the first displacement means and at the same time as the front panel which adjoins it, between its deployed position in which it is above the passenger compartment and its first position of storage (folded) in which the front and central panels are retracted, side by side, in the storage space, in the deployed position of the roof parts, these are interposed, one behind the other, between, at the front, the windshield which is fixed to the structure
• the invention advantageously provides that the rear roof element is movable between its deployed position in which it is above the passenger compartment and its folded position in which it is tilted towards the rear directly substantially horizontal, in the upper part of the storage space, behind the seats and above the storage level of the other front panels.
• the invention provides, for storing the sunroof in its storage space behind the rear seats: - a) starting from a closed state of the roof in which the two roof parts cover the passenger compartment, while being substantially aligned one behind the other, to move these roof parts to the interior of the storage space, at least some of these parts being brought to a first substantially vertical storage position, b) then again moving the part (s) ' of roof concerned (s) to a substantially horizontal position , to release a useful depth horizontally.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a vehicle equipped with a retractable roof system usable here
• - Figure 2 is a side view of part of a vehicle with a sliding / tilting roof
• - Figures 3 and 4 show two possible embodiments of sunroof systems according to
• - Figure 5 is a half cross section of the rear part of the vehicle
• - Figure 6 is a half section along the plane IV-IV of Figure 2
• - Figure 7 is a scale view enlarged of detail A, of figure 6.
• the invention comprises three central roof elements (or parts) 1,3,5 slidably mounted on two parallel side rails 7 extending in particular on each side of an opening 10 formed in the pavilion 14.
• a rear roof element (or part) (window) 9 mounted tilt-and-slide by an arm 11 connected to the chassis 13 (also called vehicle structure 15) and a slide 17 pivotally mounted on said structure 13, along an axis 17a transverse to the longitudinal direction 19 of advance of the vehicle.
• the slide 17 thus switches with the boot lid 59 when it is articulated relative to the structure of the vehicle to open (only) from the rear towards the front.
• central roof elements will mean the roof elements mounted on the slide 7 and “rear roof element” the tilting rear part 9 which includes the rear window 90.
• the central roof elements 1, 3.5 are, in the closed position of the roof above the passenger compartment, interposed between the windshield 150 fixed to the structure 13 and the rear element 9 (which can be fixed or mobile).
• the slides 7 are of arcuate shape and extend between a zone 7a situated (in the example of FIG. 1) at the front of the roof element 1, on either side of the opening 10, and a zone 7b located in the space 53 for storing the roof in the folded position, behind the seats 55, in the upper part of their backrests, under the level of articulation in 17a of the additional slides 17.
• the slides 7 could be interrupted, at the front, facing the roof element 5 situated just in front of the rearmost element 9, in particular in the case of a sunroof opening in two parts only: 5 and 9
• the central panel 5 can be moved by driving the panels 1, 3 which are then superimposed on it, between a closed position, in which it covers the passenger compartment, and a folded position in which the three panels 1, 3, 5 are housed, in their position side by side, in a first storage position inclined relative to the horizontal, behind the passenger compartment 57.
• the system which makes it possible to guide the movement of the panels 1,3 towards their superimposed position with the panel 5, at the top of the roof, will not be described in detail here.
• the central panel 5 comprises members which will be detailed below and which cooperate with the two slides 7 to guide its movement along them.
• the arcuate shape of the slides 7 has a concavity directed towards the interior of the passenger compartment. This arcuate shape makes it possible to guide the movement of the panels 1,3,5 by a passage comprised between the rear seats 55 and the rear part 9 of the roof.
• the members of the panel 5 cooperating with the slides comprise two rollers 37, 39 fixed to lugs 37a, 39a situated near each of the lateral edges 5a of the panel 5, respectively near the front and near the rear of the latter, as shown in Figure 2.
• the retractable roof system further comprises means for causing the displacement of the panel 5 along the rails.
• These means may include cables driven by a motor or a jack.
• the rollers 37,39 are shaped into pinions (see Figures 6,7 and meshed in a rack 70 integral with each slide 7 (or 51 as will be understood below) and according to the profile thereof.
• the pair of rollers 39 located near the rear of the panel 5, is rotated by an electric motor 72 connected to each roller by a half-shaft transmission 74.
• the Figure 5 shows, on the other hand, that each slide 7 is fixed at its upper part one of the two side parts 8 of the fixed roof, located on either side of the opening 10 of the roof.
• the movable slide 51 extends along the seat backs 55, in this first position for vertical storage of the roof elements 1,3,5 .
• the rear roof element 9 will tilt backwards from its high position above the rear of the passenger compartment to its position stored in space 53, by means of the drive arm 11, guided by the slide 17 to come position themselves directly and a priori definitively in a substantially horizontal position (point 9 in dotted lines in FIG 1).
• the central roof elements 1, 3, 5 are then always in their substantially vertical position on the second slide 51 pivotally mounted on the structure 13.
• This second slide will rotate the central roof elements from their first position stored substantially vertically towards a substantially horizontal storage position which can be located in a bottom clearance 61 of the floor 63 of the trunk, opposite the storage space 53 (so-called substantially horizontal low position corresponding to the reference A in FIG 1).
• the second slide 51 is articulated in this case to the structure 13 by an axis of rotation 65 transverse to the longitudinal axis 19 of the vehicle located on the lower end 51a of the second pivoting slide.
• the slide 51 is then articulated to the chassis 13 by an axis of rotation 67 transverse to the longitudinal axis 19 located on the upper end 51b of this slide.
• a system of locks not shown, it might even be possible to pivot the roof elements between their said substantially vertical and horizontal storage positions, high or low, by providing on the slide 51 the two pivot axes 65,67, and by acting selectively on one or the other of the locks.
• Selective means such as a switch 200 linked to a cable 201 and to a motor 203 itself connected to the slide part 51 concerned, make it possible to control at will the movement of the concerned parts of the roof between their first and second positions storage (here respectively vertical and horizontal).
• Each slide 80 is operated by a motorized system comprising in this case a jack 83.
• the curvature of the slide 7 is less and its rear end is interrupted at 7 b at the rear of the passenger compartment, but just above the rear backrest of the rear seats 55.
• the slides 80 extend in the axial continuity, above the storage space 53, that is to say in the upper part of the boot, the cover of which has again been identified at 59, which is articulated only at the front in 59a, to open exclusively towards the front of the vehicle, in the direction of arrow 85.
• Each slide 80 is rectilinear and extends behind the seat back 55, over a substantial part (essentially) of the depth P of the trunk, which therefore merges here with the storage space 53.
• the pivot axis 81 of the second runners 80 is located substantially at the top of the seats 55, or slightly below. It will have been noted that, in the solution of FIG. 4, the roof panels 1, 3, 5 are not strictly vertical in their first storage position (solid line in the figure), but nevertheless inclined relative to the 'horizontal, in the lower part of the rear element 9, so that they obscure at least part of the retro vision through the rear window 90.
• the motorized control of the rear element 9 can be traditional, it has neither been described nor shown. In the foregoing, it will have been noted that it is the rear panel 5 of the roof panels 1, 3, 5 which causes the movement of the panels between the positions represented in FIGS. 3 and 4. It can however be provided that this or the front panel 1 which is motor, being for example connected to a motorization system which, by means of drive cables, would cause the displacement of the panels between their extreme closed and open positions.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
• Power-Operated Mechanisms For Wings (AREA)
• Fittings On The Vehicle Exterior For Carrying Loads, And Devices For Holding Or Mounting Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=33554083

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (13)

• 2003
  • 2003-07-21 FR FR0308895A patent/FR2857625B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2004
  • 2004-07-16 WO PCT/FR2004/001883 patent/WO2005007435A2/fr active Application Filing
  • 2004-07-16 US US10/564,772 patent/US7377575B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-07-16 EP EP04767707A patent/EP1644212A2/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events