GB1594948A

GB1594948A - Sun roof for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB1594948A
Application number: GB5146277A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Hardiman M R
Current assignee: Hardiman M R
Priority date: 1978-05-31
Filing date: 1978-05-31
Publication date: 1981-08-05

Description

(54) SUN ROOF FOR A VEHICLE (71) 1, MALCOLM REGINALD HARDI MAN, a British Subject, of Valetta, Doles Lane, Wokingham, Berkshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to sun roofs suitable for fitting into the roof panels of motor cars and other motor vehicles. Some existing sun roofs are complex in their construction and as regards the techniques required for fitting them into a vehicle roof panel with the result that they are comparatively expensive to purchase and can only be fitted by skilled people.

The sun roof of the invention is simple in construction and therefore relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and is simple to install in a vehicle roof panel so that the installation can be done if desired by the vehicle owner himself.

According to the invention, there is provided a sun roof for a vehicle, comprising a substantially rectangular frame securable to a roof panel of the vehicle around an aperture in the panel, the frame having lower and upper portions for engaging opposite sides of the panel, a sub-frame mounted on the frame for pivotal movement between two positions wherein it lies adjacent to the sides of the frame, means for retaining the subframe in one of said positions, and.a flexible cover secured to the frame and to the subframe such that, in said one position of the sub-frame, the sub-frame holds the cover taut across the frame whereby in use of the sun roof to cover the aperture, and, in the other position of the sub-frame, the subframe causes the cover to be folded whereby in use of the sun roof at least part of the aperture is uncovered.

Preferably one of the frame portions has sides which are substantially L-shaped in cross section, the base of the L forming a substantially flat flange and the arm of the L extending at an angle to the flange, for example substantially perpendicular to the flange, the other portion of the frame being substantially flat and of a size conforming with that of the flange.

Either of the lower and upper frame portions may be made in more than one part, and preferably the lower frame portion is the portion whose sides are of substantially Lshaped cross section and the upper frame portion comprises a generally U-shaped flat part and a substantially straight flat part fitting across the open end of the U to form the upper frame portion.

The sub-frame may conveniently be pivoted about an axis lying substantially parallel to and approximately half way between opposed sides of the frame, and arranged so that, in one of its positions, the sub-frame lies adjacent to one such side of the frame for covering the aperture in use, and, in the other of its positions, the sub-frame lies adjacent to the other such side for exposing the whole of the aperture in use.

Further, the sub-frame may be approximately U-shaped and in a single piece, being pivoted to the frame at the ends of the arms of the U, and the sub-frame may also include a bendable portion, which can be shaped to fit closely to the contour of the roof panel after the sun roof has been fitted thereto, for sealing the sun roof against the weather when the aperture is covered.

Preferably, an over-centre type catch is fitted to the sun roof, by means of which the sub-frame can be securely retained in the position with the cover taut.

In one form of the invention, the cover has a pocket at one edge which receives a portion of the sub-frame. The free edge of the cover forming an edge of the pocket may be further secured to the sub-frame, by means of screws, bolts or rivets for example. An opposed edge of the cover is preferably, when the sun roof is fitted to a vehicle, clamped between the upper and lower portions of the frame. Also, the cover is preferably provided with means for additionally tensioning two further edges thereof for weather-proofing purposes. Such tensioning means may comprise a strong tape or similar member attached along the respective edges of the cover and firmly anchored under the upper frame portion.

The cover is preferably dimensioned in relation to the frame and the sub-frame, so that, during movement of the sub-frame towards its said one position, the cover is brought into a taut condition before the subframe has fully reached its said one position so that further movement of the sub-frame causes further tightening of the cover.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a sun roof in accordance with the invention, seen from one side; Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line II 11 in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows part of another embodiment of a sun roof.

Referring to the drawings, the sun roof comprises a lower frame portion 2 which is rectangular and has an outwardly projecting flat flange 4 and a perpendicular wall 6. An upper frame portion is provided in two parts, namely a part 8 which is flat and generally U-shaped and a rear part 10 which is flat and straight. The part 8 is dimensioned so that it can overlie the front and side portions of the flange 4, with its rear ends 12 terminating substantially in line with the rear ends of the side portions of the wall 6. The rear part 10 of the upper frame portion is dimensioned to overlie the rear portion 14 of the flange 4 and is long enough to project to some extent outwardly each side, beyond the ends of the rear portion 14, as indicated in Figure 2.

A sub-frame generally indicated at 16 is generally U-shaped with two arms 18 and a front (with reference to the closed position of the roof) portion 20. The arms 18 are flat rigid strips and the front portion 20 is a rectangular box section welded between the two arms. Riveted or otherwise secured to the front portion 20 is a forwardly projecting flexible part 22, which may be of sheet metal.

In a preferred embodiment the part 22 is secured by screws passing through over-sized holes in the part 22 so that the precise location of the latter can be adjusted.

The lower ends of-the arms 18 are provided with apertures which fit over spigots 23 on the inner sides of opposed portions of the wall 6, thus forming a pivotal mounting for the sub-frame 16. A cover 24 is provided at its front end with a pocket 26 which slips over the projecting portion 22 of the subframe. The cover 24 is a little wider than the maximum width of the lower frame portion 2, and approximately the same width as the length of the rear upper frame portion 10 which is employed to secure the rear edge of the cover 24 as will be described.

The sun roof will initially be supplied in separate parts and fitted to a panel, such as the roof panel of a vehicle, in the following manner.

A rectangular aperture is cut in the roof panel 27' (see Fig. 2) of dimensions slightly greater than the outside dimensions of the wall 6. This will expose the roof lining 28 of the vehicle. The roof lining is then cut across both diagonals of the aperture and the four triangular flaps thus formed are brought out through the aperture and folded over its edges on to the top of the roof.

The lower frame portion 2 is then inserted into the aperture from within the vehicle, with the wall 6 projecting up through the aperture as shown in Fig. 2 and the flange 4 fitting against the roof lining around the aperture on the inside of the vehicle. The Ushaped upper frame portion 8 is then positioned around the front and both sides of the aperture on the outside of the panel, and in register with the front and side portions of the flange 4 which is on the inside of the panel. These two parts are provided with matching holes 30. The frame is then secured in position by drilling through the roof panel 27 in register with these holes and inserting suitable fasteners 31 (see Fig. 2) through the holes 30 in the upper and lower frame portions and through the registered holes in the roof panel. Any type of fasteners such as nuts and bolts or rivets may be used but it is preferred to use a known type of fastener which can be fitted to leave a slightly rounded and neat chromium plated head at both sides of the fastening.

In carrying out the above, any suitable known sealing compound is inserted between the components so as to provide a good weather-proof seal between the frame and the roof panel 27.

The sub-frame 16 is then fitted by pressing the legs 18 slightly inwards so that the apertures at their ends can be fitted over the spigots 23. To secure the sub-frame, screws and washers 32 may then be secured to the ends of spigots 23 to prevent the legs coming off the spigots.

The pocket 26 at the front end of cover 24 is then fitted over the projecting member 22 on the front of the sub-frame. The pocket 26 has a flap 34 at its free edge and a bead is provided along the edge of the flap. Aligned holes are provided in the front member 20, in a straight elongated retaining member 36 and preferably also in the flap 34, so that the retaining member 36 can then be placed over the flap 34 and screws can be inserted through the holes in member 36, through the flap 34 and screwed into the front member 20. This firmly secures the front edge of the cover 24 to the sub-frame 16. The bead along the edge of flap 34 should lie alongside the retaining member 36, so that the front of the cover 24 is very firmly held. The rear edge of the cover 24 is then placed on top of the roof panel and overlying the rear portion 14 of the flange 4 on the lower frame member. The rear part 10 of the upper frame portion is then placed on the rear edge portion of the cover 24, again overlying the rear flange portion 14. The rear edge of the cover 24 is also provided with a bead and this should lie between the rear frame portion 10 and the adjacent portion of wall 6, so as to enable very firm fixing of the rear of the cover.

Suitable fasteners such as those already described are then inserted through matching holes 38 and 40 which are respectively in rear part 10 and flange portion 14, to clamp the rear edge of the cover in position.

By means of folding and stitching, the cover 24 is provided with pockets 42 along each of its side edges. Strong tapes 44 extend within and throughout the length of these pockets, the tapes being secured by stitching at the front end of the cover, in the region of the pocket 26, and extending freely out of the pockets at the rear end of the cover. These freely extending ends of the tapes 44 are at this stage projecting forwards and below the laterally projecting ends of the rear part 10 as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. These projecting ends are then pulled very tightly and then secured by inserting suiable fasteners such as rivets 46 through the endmost holes 48 in rear part 10, through the tape, and through the roof panel 27.

The cover 24 is of such a length that when it has been fitted in this way closure of the sub-frame 16 in the anti-clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 1) results in the cover being pulled taut when the sub-frame is still a few inches from the fully closed position. Pushing the sub-frame 16 into the fully closed position then produces an "over-centre" effect and causes cover 24 to be tightened firmly. In the fully closed position the front member 20 nests closely within the front portion of the vertical wall 6 while the projecting part 22 extends across the top of the front portion of vertical wall 6 and downwardly towards the roof panel just ahead of the front edge of the front upper frame portion 8. By gentle bending with a suitable pair of pliers the projecting portion 22 may be adjusted until its front edge fits closely on to the outer surface of the roof panel for weather-proofing purposes. The tightened tapes 44 along each of the side edges of cover 24 ensure that the side edges are pulled even tighter than the central portion of the cover, which causes them to be pulled tight and substantially in contact with the roof panel along the whole of their length thus providing weather-proofing along the sides of the sun roof.

An over-centre type catch 50 is provided on the front portion 20 of sub-frame 16 and, when the sub-frame is closed, this catch is engaged with a lug 52 provided on the underside of the front portion of flange 4, the catch then being pushed into its secured position to hold the sun roof closed.

In order to open the roof, catch 50 is released and sub-frame 16 is pushed back clock-wise until it lies substantially flat on the rear of the main frame, with the cover 24 folded out behind it, flat on to the car roof.

The arms 18 of the sub-frame 16 ae sufficiently long to ensure that, when the roof is folded back, the whole of the rectangular aperture in the lower frame portion 2 is uncovered. Consequently, the open area of the sun roof is substantially the same size as the aperture which has been cut in the vehicle roof, which is not the case in most of the more complex known sun roofs.

Apart from the cover, the components described are preferably made of steel which is coated with a plastic material such as nylon for good appearance and protection against corrosion.

Figure 3 shows the rear of the frame of an alternative embodiment of a sun roof in accordance with the invention. This is substantially the same as that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. However, in this case the flange 4 of the lower frame portion 2 has an angled portion 52 extending upwardly at its outer edge, to provide a better grip on the roof panel 27, and the lining 28 when the upper frame portion is attached.

Also, Figure 3 illustrates a different type of fastener which may be used to attach the frame to the roof panel 27'. The fastener comprises two countersunk screws 54 and 56.

The screw 54 is externally threaded, and the screw 56 internally threaded and adapted to receive the screw 54. The screws pass through aligned, countersunk holes 58, 60 in the upper and lower frame portions, and a hole (not shown) formed in the panel 27'.

The cover may be provided with a strengthening bar extending across its width and substantially mid-way between its ends.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A sun roof for a vehicle, comprising a substantially rectangular frame securable to a roof panel of the vehicle around an aperture in the panel, the frame having lower and upper portions for engaging opposite sides of the panel, a sub-frame mounted on the frame for pivotal movement between two positions wherein it lies adjacent to the sides of the frame, means for retaining the subframe in one of said positions, and a flexible cover secured to the frame and to the subframe such that, in said one position of the sub-frame, the sub-frame holds the cover taut across the frame whereby in use of the sun roof to cover the aperture, and, in the other position of the sub-frame, the subframe causes the cover to be folded whereby

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the cover 24 is then placed on top of the roof panel and overlying the rear portion 14 of the flange 4 on the lower frame member. The rear part 10 of the upper frame portion is then placed on the rear edge portion of the cover 24, again overlying the rear flange portion 14. The rear edge of the cover 24 is also provided with a bead and this should lie between the rear frame portion 10 and the adjacent portion of wall 6, so as to enable very firm fixing of the rear of the cover. Suitable fasteners such as those already described are then inserted through matching holes 38 and 40 which are respectively in rear part 10 and flange portion 14, to clamp the rear edge of the cover in position. By means of folding and stitching, the cover 24 is provided with pockets 42 along each of its side edges. Strong tapes 44 extend within and throughout the length of these pockets, the tapes being secured by stitching at the front end of the cover, in the region of the pocket 26, and extending freely out of the pockets at the rear end of the cover. These freely extending ends of the tapes 44 are at this stage projecting forwards and below the laterally projecting ends of the rear part 10 as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. These projecting ends are then pulled very tightly and then secured by inserting suiable fasteners such as rivets 46 through the endmost holes 48 in rear part 10, through the tape, and through the roof panel 27. The cover 24 is of such a length that when it has been fitted in this way closure of the sub-frame 16 in the anti-clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 1) results in the cover being pulled taut when the sub-frame is still a few inches from the fully closed position. Pushing the sub-frame 16 into the fully closed position then produces an "over-centre" effect and causes cover 24 to be tightened firmly. In the fully closed position the front member 20 nests closely within the front portion of the vertical wall 6 while the projecting part 22 extends across the top of the front portion of vertical wall 6 and downwardly towards the roof panel just ahead of the front edge of the front upper frame portion 8. By gentle bending with a suitable pair of pliers the projecting portion 22 may be adjusted until its front edge fits closely on to the outer surface of the roof panel for weather-proofing purposes. The tightened tapes 44 along each of the side edges of cover 24 ensure that the side edges are pulled even tighter than the central portion of the cover, which causes them to be pulled tight and substantially in contact with the roof panel along the whole of their length thus providing weather-proofing along the sides of the sun roof. An over-centre type catch 50 is provided on the front portion 20 of sub-frame 16 and, when the sub-frame is closed, this catch is engaged with a lug 52 provided on the underside of the front portion of flange 4, the catch then being pushed into its secured position to hold the sun roof closed. In order to open the roof, catch 50 is released and sub-frame 16 is pushed back clock-wise until it lies substantially flat on the rear of the main frame, with the cover 24 folded out behind it, flat on to the car roof. The arms 18 of the sub-frame 16 ae sufficiently long to ensure that, when the roof is folded back, the whole of the rectangular aperture in the lower frame portion 2 is uncovered. Consequently, the open area of the sun roof is substantially the same size as the aperture which has been cut in the vehicle roof, which is not the case in most of the more complex known sun roofs. Apart from the cover, the components described are preferably made of steel which is coated with a plastic material such as nylon for good appearance and protection against corrosion. Figure 3 shows the rear of the frame of an alternative embodiment of a sun roof in accordance with the invention. This is substantially the same as that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. However, in this case the flange 4 of the lower frame portion 2 has an angled portion 52 extending upwardly at its outer edge, to provide a better grip on the roof panel 27, and the lining 28 when the upper frame portion is attached. Also, Figure 3 illustrates a different type of fastener which may be used to attach the frame to the roof panel 27'. The fastener comprises two countersunk screws 54 and 56. The screw 54 is externally threaded, and the screw 56 internally threaded and adapted to receive the screw 54. The screws pass through aligned, countersunk holes 58, 60 in the upper and lower frame portions, and a hole (not shown) formed in the panel 27'. The cover may be provided with a strengthening bar extending across its width and substantially mid-way between its ends. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A sun roof for a vehicle, comprising a substantially rectangular frame securable to a roof panel of the vehicle around an aperture in the panel, the frame having lower and upper portions for engaging opposite sides of the panel, a sub-frame mounted on the frame for pivotal movement between two positions wherein it lies adjacent to the sides of the frame, means for retaining the subframe in one of said positions, and a flexible cover secured to the frame and to the subframe such that, in said one position of the sub-frame, the sub-frame holds the cover taut across the frame whereby in use of the sun roof to cover the aperture, and, in the other position of the sub-frame, the subframe causes the cover to be folded whereby

in use of the sun roof at least part of the aperture is uncovered.

2. A sun roof as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame is substantially rectangular, and the sub-frame is substantially Ushaped, the ends of the arms of the U being pivotally mounted to respective opposite sides of the frame, and the cover being attached to the base of the U and to a further side of the frame.

3. A sun roof as claimed in claim I or 2, wherein one of said frame portions is substantially L-shaped in cross-section, the base of the L forming a substantially flat flange and the arm of the L extending at an angle to the flange, the other of said frame portions being substantially flat and of a size conforming with that of the flange.

4. A sun roof as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of said frame portions comprises a generally U-shaped part and a substantially straight part for fitting across the open end of the U, so that the cover can be secured between the straight part and the other of said frame portions.

5. A sun roof as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sub-frame has a bendable portion which is arranged such that, in use of the sun roof with the subframe in its said one position, said bendable portion is located over the roof panel, and which can be shaped to fit closely to the contour of the roof panel.

6. A sun roof as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cover is so sized in relation to the frame and the sub-frame that, during movement of the sub-frame towards its said one position, the cover is brought into a taut condition before the sub-frame has fully reached its said one position so that further movement of the sub-frame causes further tightening of the cover.

7. A sun roof as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cover is substantially rectangular, an opposite pair of edges of the cover being attached to the frame and subframe respectively, and the other edges being provided with tensioning means adapted to cause these edges to be tensioned to a higher degree than the remainder of the cover when the sub-frame is in its said one position.

8. A sun roof as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sub-frame is disposed relative to the frame such that, in use of the sun roof when the sub-frame is in said other position, the aperture is entirely uncovered.

9. A sun roof substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.