JPH0246412Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Technical Field The present invention relates to an automobile roof panel opening/closing device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Automobiles have been known that have roof panels that can be opened and closed so that the upper part of the automobile can be opened to enjoy so-called open-air motoring. This type of car is generally called a convertible car, and the type of car where the rear pillar and part of the roof remain when the roof is opened is called a Targatop. In conventional Targa top vehicles, the roof panel is detachably supported on the vehicle body, and when the roof panel is removed, it is constructed so that it can be stored in the trunk room. For this reason, not only is the work of attaching and detaching the roof panel extremely troublesome, but the space for storing other items is restricted when the roof panel is placed in the trunk.

Furthermore, an automobile has been proposed in which a roof panel is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body via an opening/closing device, and the roof panel is stored in a storage section at the rear of the vehicle body when the upper portion of the vehicle body is opened. Although the roof panel of this type of car can be easily opened and closed, the storage space of the roof panel when the top is open is large, and the drawback is that most of the trunk space cannot be used for storing other items. In addition, with this configuration, when the roof panel is stored in its storage space, there is a risk that the roof panel will interfere with the luggage door for the luggage compartment, so it is usually not possible to provide a luggage door, or the door is placed in an unnatural position in the vehicle body. I had to wear it.

Purpose The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and to eliminate the need for space in the luggage compartment to house the roof panel when the upper part of the vehicle body is opened, and to prevent the roof panel from interfering with the luggage door, as well as to prevent the opening and closing of the door. To provide a roof panel opening/closing device that can be freely operated.

Configuration The present invention is achieved by pivoting the lower ends of the front link and rear link, which are arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, to the vehicle body, and pivoting the upper ends thereof to the rear area of the roof panel. A roof panel opening/closing device for an automobile, characterized in that the roof panel is movably supported in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the pivot point of the rear link to the vehicle body is arranged coaxially with the pivot point of the ratchet door to the vehicle body. propose. According to this configuration, since the rear link that supports the roof panel is coaxially connected to the pivot joint of the luggage door, the opening and closing of the luggage door is not only not hindered by the roof panel placed on it. The mounted roof panel can be placed on the luggage door without any problem, and the disadvantage that the space in the trunk room is occupied by the roof panel can be eliminated.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, 1 is a car body, 2 is a windshield, 3 is a window frame that forms part of the car body 1 and supports the windshield, and 4 also forms a part of the car body. The rear pillars are shown in the figure. One rear pillar 4 is provided on each side in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and a rear glass 15 is fixed between these pillars. Reference numeral 5 designates a luggage door for a trunk room at the rear of the vehicle body, and the manner in which this door 5 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body 1 will be explained elsewhere. Reference numeral 6 denotes a roof panel which is normally located on the upper part of the vehicle body 1 and covers the vehicle interior 7 as shown in FIG. It is opened and closed by device 8.

The illustrated opening/closing device 8 has a front link 11 and a rear link 12 arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 1, as shown in FIG. 4, and the lower ends of these links 11 and 12 are rear pillar 4
It is pivotally attached to or near the side of the vehicle via pivot pins 9 and 10 so as to be rotatable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Further, the rear region of the roof panel 6 described above is pivotally attached to the upper ends of these links 11 and 12 via pivot pins 13 and 14. Link 11, 12
is located behind the glass 15 and inside the pillar 4 so as not to interfere with the rear glass 15 and the rear pillar 4.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, a front link 11a and a rear link 12a are arranged on the other side of the vehicle body in the lateral direction, just like links 11 and 12, and these links 11a and 12a also have their lower and upper ends. The sides are pivot pins 9a, 10a, 13a, 1
It is pivotally connected to the vehicle body 1 and the roof panel 6 via 4a. Pivot pins 9 and 9a, 10 and 10
a, 13 and 13a, and 14 and 14a are located coaxially, that is, on the same axis.
The two rear links 12, 12a are connected to the connecting plate 16.
(Fig. 4), and a component of the locking device, in the example shown, a striker 17 is fixed to this connecting plate 16, and this striker 17 is connected to the locking device provided in the luggage door 5 as described later. can engage other elements, namely the catch 18.

The above-mentioned front links 11, 11a, rear links 12, 12a, roof panel 6, and vehicle body 1 constitute a parallel movement mechanism, and link 1
1, 11a, 12, 12a on the vehicle body side pivot pin 9,
By swinging back and forth around 9a, 10, and 10a, the roof panel 6 can be moved back and forth while maintaining a substantially horizontal posture as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. The status of each position is as follows.

That is, when the roof panel 6 is used for its original purpose, the panel 6 is brought to the usage position shown in FIG. 1, and the roof panel 6 covers the upper part of the vehicle interior 7. At this time, the front end of the roof panel 6 is supported by the window frame 3, and the panel itself is held immovably. In order to ensure this holding effect, it is advantageous to lock the front end of the roof panel 6 and the window frame 3 by means of a locking device, not shown.

When the roof panel 6 is in the use position, the four links and the connecting plate 16 are hidden inside the rear pillar 4, so they are hardly exposed to the outside, which spoils the appearance of the automobile. Never.

When the upper part of the automobile is to be opened, the front and rear links 11, 11a, 12, 12a are rotated clockwise in FIG. while rotating the roof panel 6 to the second position.
They are moved rearward as shown in the figure, and placed in a folded state in the storage position above the luggage door 5, as shown in FIG. At this time, the connecting plate 16
The upper striker 17 is engaged with the catch 18 provided on the luggage door 5 to lock the roof panel 6 to the luggage door 5. catch 18
is, for example, the locking groove 1 with which the striker 17 engages.
8a (FIG. 1), and the striker 17 can be elastically engaged with the locking groove 18a to connect them.

By storing the roof panel 6 in the storage position as described above, the upper part of the vehicle body 1 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, and the driver can enjoy open-air driving. Also, since the stowed roof panel 6 is located in a folded state on top of the luggage door 5,
This is not bulky, and the space in the trunk room is not occupied by the roof panel 6.

Release the lock and link 11, 11a, 12,
By rotating 12a counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the roof panel 6 can be returned to its original use position.

By the way, the luggage door 5 is similar to a normal automobile, with its front side serving as a fulcrum.
However, even if the roof panel 6 remains in the storage position, the luggage door 5
It is constructed so that it can be opened and closed freely. That is, the pivoting portions of the rear links 12, 12a to the vehicle body, in the illustrated example the pivot pins 10, 10a, are located coaxially with the pivoting portion of the luggage door 5 to the vehicle body, and in the illustrated embodiment, As can be seen from the figure, a pair of hinge members 19, 19a are placed on the door 5.
are fixed, and the tips of these are connected to the rear link 12,
It is pivotally supported on the vehicle body 1 by pivot pins 10 and 10a that pivot 12a. Since the luggage door 5 and the rear link are coaxially supported, that is, on the same axis, the roof panel 6 can be placed in the storage position and locked to the luggage door 5 by the locking devices 17 and 18. Even if the door 5 is opened by rotating it counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 5, the door 5 and the rear links 12, 12a
rotate around the same axis, that is, pivot pins 10 and 10a, and the roof panel 6 operates as shown in FIG. 5 while maintaining its horizontal position. Therefore, the luggage door 5 can be opened without being obstructed by the roof panel 6. Also rear link 12,
Since the roof panel 12a is supported coaxially with the luggage door 5, when the roof panel 6 is moved to the storage position as described above, the panel 6 can be moved to the luggage door 5 without causing any interference between the roof panel 6 and the luggage door 5. Can be brought to the top storage position.

Also, on the luggage door 5, FIGS. 1 to 3,
And if the rear spoiler 20 as shown by the chain line in FIG. 5 and as shown in FIG. 6 is fixedly arranged,
The hinge member 19, the roof panel 6, etc. brought to the storage position can be stored inside the spoiler 20, and deterioration of the appearance of the automobile can be prevented.

In the embodiment described above, the luggage door 5 and the rear links 12, 12a are connected by the pivot pins 10, 10a.
Although the luggage door and the rear link are coaxially supported, it goes without saying that the luggage door and the rear link may be coaxially supported using separate pins or hinges. Also, it is natural that instead of making the pivot pins 9 and 9a separate members, they may be configured as an integrated rod-shaped link, and the other link 1
The same applies to 0, 10a, 13, 13a, 14, and 14a.

Effects According to the present invention, the roof panel can be opened and closed with simple operation due to its simple configuration, and the luggage door can be freely opened and closed while the roof panel is in the stowed position without sacrificing space in the luggage compartment. can do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partial side view of the automobile showing a state in which the roof panel covers the upper part of the vehicle body; Fig. 2 is a side view showing the state in the middle when the roof panel is opened;
Figure 3 is a side view with the roof panel in the stowed position and the top of the vehicle body opened. Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the front and rear links and hinge members, with other parts omitted. , a view seen in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a partial side view of the automobile showing the operation of opening the luggage door while the roof panel is supported by the luggage door, and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the spoiler fixed to the luggage door. It is a diagram. 1... Vehicle body, 5... Luggage door, 6... Roof panel, 8... Roof panel opening/closing device, 1
1, 11a...Front link, 12, 12a...
...Rear link.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The lower ends of the front and rear links, which are arranged approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, are pivotally connected to the vehicle body, and the upper ends thereof are pivotally connected to the rear area of the roof panel, thereby making it possible to connect the roof panel to the front and rear of the vehicle body. What is claimed is: 1. A roof panel opening/closing device for an automobile, wherein the rear link is movably supported in a direction, and a pivoting portion of the rear link to the vehicle body is disposed coaxially with a pivoting portion of the luggage door to the vehicle body.