GB2327644A

GB2327644A - Drive mechanism for a cover part of a vehicle roof

Info

Publication number: GB2327644A
Application number: GB9816455A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Manfred Hoeller; Thomas Stemmer
Original assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
Current assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
Priority date: 1997-07-30
Filing date: 1998-07-28
Publication date: 1999-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 2018-07-28
Also published as: GB9816455D0; DE19732700A1; DE19732700B4; GB2327644B

Abstract

A drive mechanism for a movable cover part for closing a roof opening in a fixed roof panel of a vehicle roof has a rail section 14 which is U-shape when viewed from above. The rail section 14 has side parts 16,18 provided with two guide ducts (24, Fig 5) for respective drive cables connected to the cover 13, and a central part 20 arranged therebetween and connecting the side parts 16,18 together. The central part 20 is provided with a housing for a drive system (37, Fig 8) for the drive cables, from which two guide ducts (38) depart in both directions, the guide ducts (38) being aligned at their other ends with a guide duct (24) of the relevant side part 16,18. The side parts 16,18 are in the form of two extruded one-piece side parts which are L-shape when viewed from above.

Description

2327644 DRIVE MECHANISM FOR A COVER PART OF A VEHICLS ROOF The invention

relates to a drive mechanism for a movable cover part closing a roof opening in a fixed roof s panel of a vehicle roof and to a vehicle sun roof.

A known mechanism comprises a rail section which is Ushaped when viewed from above, the rail section having side parts provided with two guide ducts for respective drive lo cables connected in a pressure-resistant manner to the cover, and a central part arranged therebetween and connecting the side parts together, the central part being provided with a housing for a drive system for the drive cables, from which two guide ducts depart in both is directions and are aligned at their other ends with a guide duct of the relevant side part, and the rail section being fixed to a basic body which can be fixed to the fixed roof panel and the central part consisting of an upper part and a lower part.

A mechanism of this kind is known from DE-B-1180630. A total of six side parts are provided in this known mechanism, two straight side parts and one side part which is L-shaped when viewed from above being arranged on each side, these being connected together and each consisting of two metal sections releasably connected together. The central part is connected to one of the straight side parts. The guide ducts are arranged one above the other in the side parts. A horizontally mounted pinion, which forms part of a manual drive system with which the two drive cables are in engagement in a tangentially opposing manner, is provided in the centre of the central part. The central part is provided with cable guide surfaces which bring the guide cables out of their superposed arrangement at the end of the central part into the arrangement in which they are at the same height and are engaged with the pinion and then 2 back to the superposed arrangement again. The lower part is in the form of a U-section open at the top, which is then closed at the top by the upper part in the form of a cover.

The disadvantage of this known arrangement is that the rail section consists of a total of seven parts connected together, this firstly causing handling problems during production and assembly and resulting furthermore in uneven lo running of the cables at the connecting points. The twopart design of the side parts leads furthermore to higher production and assembly costs.

A similar drive mechanism is known from DE-C-19531514.

is The rail section is in this case in the form a frame part which is Ushaped when viewed from above and consists of an extruded aluminium part which has two drive cable guide ducts extending alongside one another at the same height and which can be fixed directly to the fixed roof panel without a basic body. A recess is milled out of the centre of the Ushaped frame part and receives a central piece. The central piece is injection moulded in one piece from plastics, two guide ducts being provided in the central piece, these extending parallel to one another and each 2s having a hollow cylindrical portion, the length of which corresponds to at least twice the outside diameter of a pinion provided as a drive system, and provided at their ends with an expanding portion in the shape of a hollow truncated cone. The guide cables are guided with little play in the hollow cylindrical portion. In cooperation with the portion in the shape of a hollow truncated cone, this is supposed to allow the drive cables to pass over into the side parts with virtually no side pressure, thereby allowing for chatter-free displacement of the cables. The disadvantage of this known mechanism is that, on the one hand, handling of the one-piece frame part 3 during production and assembly is complicated and, on the other hand, the one-piece design of the central part severely limits its flexibility in production relative to different drive systems. In particular, only guide ducts s extending horizontally in a plane are possible.

DE-C-4301635 discloses a drive mechanism with two plastics side parts which are L-shaped when viewed from above with drive cable guide ducts extending alongside one lo another at the same height and mounted on a basic body, the guide ducts being formed by the cooperation of the side part and the basic body and the side parts being stabilised by a reinforcing frame situated on top of them. A pinion of a drive system is arranged between the two side parts.

is The disadvantage of this known arrangement is that production and assembly are complicated as a result of the additional reinforcing frame and, furthermore, the side parts are susceptible to wear as a result of the fact that plastics is used. The side parts can furthermore only be used for one specific drive system without modification.

The aim of this invention is to overcome the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove and to provide a drive mechanism which is flexible with respect to the drive system to be used, can be mounted in a simple manner, allows for simple exchange of the drive system used and can be adapted in a simple manner to different roof sizes and/or roof curvatures.

According to the present invention, there is provided a drive mechanism for a movable cover part for closing a roof opening in a fixed roof panel of a vehicle roof, the drive mechanism comprising a rail section which is U-shape when viewed from above, the rail section having side parts provided with two guide ducts for respective drive cables connected to the cover, and a central part arranged 4 therebetween and connecting the side parts together, the central part being provided with a housing for a drive system for the drive cables, from which two guide ducts depart in both directions, said guide ducts being aligned s at their other ends with a guide duct of the relevant side part, the side parts being in the form of two extruded onepiece side parts which are L-shape when viewed from above, the two guide ducts of the side parts and the two guide ducts of the central part being arranged alongside one lo another at substantially the same height.

This solution according to the invention has the advantage that the drive mechanism can be produced and mounted in a simple and cost-effective manner, ensures smooth running of the cables and furthermore allows for great flexibility during assembly. For example, the drive system can be mounted at a late stage of the procedure, the drive system can be exchanged in a simple manner, drive systems with pinions of different sizes can be used and, for example, in the case of roofs of different dimensions and/or roofs of differing curvature, the rail section can be cut to length in an appropriate manner and possibly placed on different basic bodies in a curved state.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the guide ducts of the central part each extend in an arcuate manner in the horizontal plane, respective straight portions being provided at the ends towards the respective side part and towards the housing.

The horizontal spacing of the drive cables can thus be adapted in a simple manner if the drive system requires a different cable spacing from that provided at the outlet of the side parts.

It is furthermore preferably provided that the central part comprise an upper part and a lower part. The guide 1 is ducts of the central part may be formed by the cooperation of the upper part and the lower part, the guide ducts of the central part preferably each being formed by a duct with a U-shape cross section in the upper part and a mating surface of the lower part which is substantially plane in the transverse direction and closes the U-shape duct in the assembled state. The horizontal spacing can thus be adapted by means of the selection of the upper part, while the same lower part can be used for different spacings.

The drive system may be fixed to the upper part.

The upper part may be centred relative to the lower part by means of fixing domes formed on the upper part.

The mechanism may comprise a basic body to which the rail section is fixed and which can be fixed to a vehicle fixed roof panel. The upper part may conveniently be fixed to the basic body by means of screws extending through the 20 lower part.

The rail section is preferably provided on its underside resting on the basic body with a sealing duct.

The rail section may be connected to the basic body by means of TORX screws, punch riveting or gluing, for example.

The basic body may be made of light metal or steel.

The ends of the guide ducts of the central part are moreover advantageously chamfered. This allows for quiet movement of the cables.

6 In another preferred embodiment, the central part has respective centring projections for alignment relative to the side parts.

The rail section may be provided with a lateral duct onto which attachments can be clipped or screwed.

The side parts are preferably made of a light metal alloy.

The central part may be in the form of a die casting.

The drive system may include a horizontally mounted pinion which is permanently in engagement with the drive cables.

one preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectional perspective view of a drive mechanism according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional perspective view of a first embodiment of the central part of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but of a second embodiment; Fig. 4 is a top view of part of the drive mechanism of Fig. 1; 1 7 Fig. 5 is a cross section along the line V-V of Fig.

4; Fig. 6 is a cross section along the line VI-VI of Fig.

4; Fig. 7 is a top view of the lower part of the central part of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the upper part of the central part of Fig. 4; Fig. 9 is a cross section along the line IX-IX of Fig. 7; and, Fig. 10 is a cross section along the line X-X of Fig.

8.

Fig. 1 shows a basic body 10 in the form of a frame provided for fixing to a fixed roof panel in the region in and behind an opening in the fixed roof panel (not shown).

This opening, which is congruent with the opening 12 in the basic body 10, can be closed or completely or partially uncovered as required by a movable cover 13 displaceable in the longitudinal direction. The cover 13 is only shown in diagrammatic form in Fig. 1. The basic body 10 is in the form of a die casting, plastics injection moulded part or shaped sheet metal part and may consist of steel, a light metal, in particular aluminium, or plastics, depending on the requirements.

8 A rail section 14 is placed on the basic body 10 in its lateral and front portion. The rail section 14 is in the form of an extruded part consisting of two side parts 16,18 which are Lshape when viewed from above and a central part 20 arranged therebetween and connecting the side parts 16,18. One function of the rail section 14 consists in serving as a guide for the displacement of the cover 13 by means of rails 22. The side parts 16,18 are extruded parts, preferably extruded aluminium parts.

As shown in Fig. 5, the side parts 16,18 of the rail section 14 are provided with two parallel hollow cylinderlike guide ducts 24 arranged alongside one another at the same height, each having a slot 26 extending in the is longitudinal direction and directed towards the centre of the side part 16,18. The guide ducts 24 serve to receive respective pressureresistant drive cables 25,27 connected to the cover 13 or to elements (not shown) connected to the cover in order to drive the cover 13.

A lateral duct 29 is provided on the side of each of the side parts 16,18 directed towards the outside and serves to position and fix attachments, e.g. a wind deflector bearing, by means of clipping or screwing.

The side parts 16,18 are furthermore provided on their undersides with a sealing duct 28 which receives a sealing material which is applied to or placed on the side parts 16,18 in liquid form from a cartridge or in solid form as a sealing cord, or is sprayed thereon in a two-component process, and provides a bond with the basic body 10 in order to prevent moisture from penetrating into the interior of the vehicle.

9 The rail section 14 is preferably rigidly connected to the basic body 10 by means of TOM screws. However, other processes, such as punch riveting, gluing or conventional methods of joining can also be used depending on economic s considerations and on the material.

The central part 20 of the rail section 14 is made up of two parts, i.e. an upper part 30 and a lower part 32, the upper part 30 being placed on the lower part 32 as shown in Fig. 6. The upper part 30 and the lower part 32 are preferably in the form of die castings, preferably magnesium die castings, but they may also be in the form of plastics injection moulded parts. The upper part 30 and the lower part 32 each have a central housing 34,36 for is receiving a drive system shown in diagrammatic form in Fig. 8 by a horizontally mounted drive pinion 37. The housings 34,36 are substantially rhombic.

As shown in Fig. 8, two drive cable guide ducts 38 arranged alongside one another at the same height depart from the housing 34 in both directions and extend as far as the respective ends 40,42 of the central part 20 which bear against the side parts 16 and 18 respectively. The guide ducts 38 are provided at their ends 40,42 or at the transition to the housing 34 with chamfers 44,46 in order to allow for quiet running of the cables. The two drive cables 25,27 are provided in a known manner with a portion which is provided with operating coils and runs tangentially past the pinion 37, the pinion 37 thereby being permanently in engagement with the drive cables 25,27. When viewed from above, i.e. in the horizontal plane, the guide ducts 38 each extend in an arcuate manner, respective straight portions 48,50 being provided at the ends 40,42 or towards the housing 36.

In the assembled state, the guide ducts 38 of the central part 20 are each aligned with the guide ducts 24 of the relevant side part 16,18. The arcuate course of the guide ducts 38 serves to compensate for the diameter of the pinion 37 not being adapted to the spacing between the guide ducts 24 of the side parts 16,18 in the embodiment described. In the embodiment described, the vertical alignment of the pinion 37 is adapted to the height of the guide ducts 24 of the side parts 16, 18, so that the guide lo ducts 38 of the central part 20 extend substantially horizontally. In the event of vertical misalignment, the guide ducts 38 can also extend in an arcuate manner in the vertical plane.

As will be clear from Fig. 6, the guide ducts 38 of the central part 20 are formed by the cooperation of the upper part 30 and the lower part 32. The upper part 30 has a section 54 open at the bottom (in Fig. 6) which is then closed in the assembled state by a corresponding mating surface 56 which extends in a horizontally plane manner in both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction in the embodiment described in order to guide one of the two drive cables 25,27.

Openings 58,60 are formed in the upper part 30 and in the lower part 32 respectively, by means of which the drive system with the pinion 37 can be fixed to the upper part 30 by means of screwing. The upper part 30 and the lower part 32 are furthermore provided with openings 62,64 respectively by means of which the upper part 30 and the lower part 32 can be screwed on to the basic body 10. The openings 58,60,62,64 are all arranged on one line in this embodiment.

The lower part 32 is provided at both ends with respective centring projections 66 which engage in 11 complementary recesses 67 on the underside of the adjacent ends of the side parts 16,18 and thus not only align the lower part 32 relative to the respective side parts 16,18, but also lock the central part 20 in the assembled state in the Y-direction and in the Z-direction relative to the basic body 10 and the side parts 16,18 of the rail section 14. The lower part 32 is provided on its top surface in the region of the openings 60, 64 with a locating groove 68 which serves to align the upper part 30 relative to the io lower part 32 with the domes surrounding the openings 58,62 engaging in the grooves 68.

The lower part 32 is moreover provided at both ends with chamfers 70 which cooperate in the assembled state with the chamfers 44 of the upper part 30 in order to ensure quiet running of the cables.

The lower part 32 is provided on its underside with a sealing duct 72 which acts substantially like the sealing duct 28 in the region of the side parts 16, 18.

One advantage of the rail section 14 consisting of two side parts 16,18 and a central part 20 consists in that the rail section 14 can be adapted in a simple manner to different drive systems by using a suitably modified central part 20 with the same side parts 16,18. As the rail section 14 is placed on a basic body or frame 10, it can be used in connection with different basic bodies or frames. As a result of the fact that the mating surface of the lower part 32 extends in a plane manner in the transverse direction, the lower part 32 can be used with different upper parts 30, the guide ducts 38 of which are adapted to different pinion diameters. The rail section 14 is also designed for simple height adjustment between the guide ducts 24 of the side parts 16,18 and the drive pinion 37 by selecting different lower parts 32. Different cover 12 widths and/or different cover lengths can be taken into account in a simple manner by cutting the shaped side parts 16,18 to length in a corresponding manner with the central part 20 staying the same.

The entire drive mechanism is modular, the drive system can be exchanged in a simple manner and the drive system can be mounted at a very late stage.

The central part, for example as shown in Figures 2 and 3, can be designed for a manual drive system or an electric drive system. When using a manual drive, the upper part 30 of the central part 20 is provided in the region of the recess 34 with a run-in plate 74 for improved is guiding of the cables in the region of the drive pinion, this not being necessary when using an electric drive as, in this case, the run-in plate is part of the drive system.

An embodiment of the present invention has been 2o described with particular reference to the example illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the example described within the scope of the present invention.

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Claims

13 CLAIMS

I. A drive mechanism for a movable cover part for closing a roof opening in a fixed roof panel of a vehicle roof, the s drive mechanism comprising a rail section which is U-shape when viewed from above, the rail section having side parts provided with two guide ducts for respective drive cables connected to the cover, and a central part arranged therebetween and connecting the side parts together, the io central part being provided with a housing for a drive system for the drive cables, from which two guide ducts depart in both directions, said guide ducts being aligned at their other ends with a guide duct of the relevant side part, the side parts being in the form of two extruded oneis piece side parts which are L-shape when viewed from above, the two guide ducts of the side parts and the two guide ducts of the central part being arranged alongside one another at substantially the same height.

2. A drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the guide ducts of the central part each extend in an arcuate manner in the horizontal plane, respective straight portions being provided at the ends towards the respective side part and towards the housing.

3. A drive mechanism according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the guide ducts of the central part each extend in an arcuate manner in the vertical plane.

4. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the central part comprises an upper part and a lower part.

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5. A drive mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the guide ducts of the central part are formed by the cooperation of the upper part and the lower part.

6. A drive mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the guide ducts of the central part are each formed by a duct with a U-shape cross section in the upper part and a mating surface of the lower part which is substantially plane in the transverse direction and closes the U-shape duct in the assembled state.

7. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the drive system is fixed to the upper part.

is

8. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the upper part is centred relative to the lower part by means of fixing domes formed on the upper part.

9. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 8, comprising a basic body to which the rail section is fixed and which can be fixed to a vehicle fixed roof panel.

10. A drive mechanism according to claim 9 when dependent on any of claims 4 to 8, wherein the upper part is fixed to the basic body by means of screws extending through the lower part.

11. A drive mechanism according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the rail section is provided on its underside resting on the basic body with a sealing duct.

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12. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the rail section is connected to the basic body by means of TORX screws, punch riveting or gluing.

13. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the basic body is made of light metal or steel.

14. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the guide ducts of the central part are chamfered lo at their ends.

15. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the central part has respective centring projections for alignment relative to the side parts.

is

16. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the rail section is provided with a lateral duct onto which attachments can be clipped or screwed.

17. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the side parts are made of a light metal alloy.

18. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 17, wherein the central part is in the form of a die casting.

19. A drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the drive system includes a horizontally mounted pinion which is permanently in engagement with the drive cables.

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20. A drive mechanism for a movable cover part of a vehicle roof, substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

s

21. A vehicle sun roof, substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

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