JPH057209B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a movable roof device for an automobile in which at least a portion of the roof is formed of a foldable hood.

(Prior Art) A convertible car is a car that has no roof, rear window, etc. except for the front window, and has the advantage that it has a wide field of view and provides an exhilarating driving feeling in warm, sunny weather. However, on the other hand, there is a problem in that it is not suitable for driving in bad weather such as rainy days or when it is cold. For this reason, conventionally there are convertible cars, which use a hood to form a roof, etc., and which can be folded towards the rear of the car body to create an open car if necessary, and Talwatop cars, which have a removable roof plate. is put into practical use. In the case of a convertible type car, the top can be folded to create a completely open car, but since the top is used, when the top of the car is covered with the top, the joints between the top and the side and front windows are The sealability of the vehicle tends to be a problem, and wind noise and water leakage are likely to occur during driving. On the other hand, Talwatpu type cars use rigid roofs, so the above problems are less likely to occur.
Since only the roof is open, there is a problem in that visibility is inferior to a fully open car in terms of visibility.

For this reason, for example, UK published patent application no. 2086316
As disclosed in the issue, a rotatable movable pillar is attached to the vehicle body, the rear of this movable pillar is covered with a rear hood attached to the movable pillar and the vehicle body, and a roof panel is placed over the top of the movable pillar and the top of the front window. An upper body structure has been proposed that is a combination of the convertible type and the Talwatop type. In this way, it is possible to solve both the problem of the sealability of the joint with the window in the convertible type and the problem of visibility in the Talwatop type.

However, in this case, the movable pillars that support the hood are rotated rearward to create an open car condition, so it is recommended that not only the hood but also the movable pillars be stowed below the belt line of the vehicle to widen visibility. This is desirable, and therefore it is necessary to devise a rotation mechanism for the movable pillar to meet this demand.

In view of this, the applicant has proposed that approximately the reverse U.
The vehicle body of the movable pillar is equipped with a movable pillar with legs rotatably attached to the left and right side walls of the vehicle body, and a roof panel that spans between the top of the movable pillar and the top of the front window to form a roof. A housing portion for the movable pillar is formed on the rear side, and the movable pillar is arranged so that the movable pillar stands up due to the above-mentioned rotation and is in a state where the roof panel can be spanned between the movable pillar and the top of the front window. Various proposals have been made regarding open-top automobiles that are movable between a first position and a second position in which the vehicle rotates rearward from this position and is stored in a storage section (Japanese Patent Application No. 1983- 255222 etc.).

On the other hand, the above-mentioned convertible type car and the car with movable pillars proposed above require a mechanism to extend and fold the top, and such a mechanism requires electric motor rotation, hydraulic pressure, etc. There are systems that operate the top support mechanism by transmitting the reciprocating motion of the piston, etc., to a top support mechanism such as a movable pillar via a link, for example.

When the top is folded and stored in a storage section using such a mechanism to create an open car, the top folded and stored in the storage section is often covered with a top cover. In this case, if you accidentally operate the top support mechanism while it is still covered by the top cover, the movement of the top support mechanism will be restricted by the top cover, and unreasonable force will be applied to the top support mechanism. In addition, the top support mechanism may be damaged, and an excessive load may be applied to the drive means such as an electric motor for driving the top support mechanism, causing the drive means to malfunction.

(Object of the Invention) In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a movable roof that can prevent a canopy support mechanism from being driven when the canopy is folded and stored and is covered by a canopy cover. The purpose is to provide a device.

(Structure of the Invention) The movable roof device of the present invention is such that a hood support mechanism that supports a freely foldable hood is movable between a first position and a second position, and in the first position, the hood is attached to an upper part of a vehicle body. The vehicle body roof is formed by covering the top, and in the second position, the top is folded and stowed in a predetermined position, and this top support mechanism is moved to the second position, and the top is folded and stowed in a predetermined position. Later, the installation detection means detects that the top is covered with the top cover, and when this detection is made, the drive prohibition means prohibits the operation of the drive means for driving the top support mechanism. It is characterized by:

(Embodiments) Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing an example of a motor vehicle having a moving roof device according to the present invention. A movable pillar 13 is attached near the rear of the door 12, with a leg end 13a rotatably supported by the vehicle body. The movable pillar 13 is a substantially inverted U-shaped member, and although the right side of the vehicle body is not shown in this figure, both left and right leg end portions 13a, 13a are rotatably supported by the left and right side walls of the vehicle body. The movable pillar 13 is rotatable rearward from the illustrated state around both leg ends 13a, 13a. A roof panel 14 is removably attached to the top of the movable pillar 13 and the top of the front window 11.
Furthermore, a rear hood 15 having a window glass 16 in the center is attached from the movable pillar 13 to the rear part 17 of the vehicle body. FIG. 1B shows a state in which this rear hood 15 is removed. As can be seen from this figure, when the movable pillar 13 is rotated rearward, the movable pillar 13 A storage section 18 is formed in which the rear hood 15 is folded and stored. Rear hood 1
5 has a front end fixed to the movable pillar 13, and a rear end and both side ends fixed to the periphery of the storage section 18. FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing a state in which the movable pillar 13 is rotated rearward and stored in the storage portion 18. In order to rotate the movable pillar 13 rearward, the roof panel 14 is first removed and stored in a trunk room or the like, and then the movable pillar 13 is rotated. As a result, the movable pillar 13 can be stored in the storage section 18, and since there is nothing protruding above the belt line, a complete open car condition can be achieved. For convenience of explanation below, the state in which the movable pillar 13 is in the upright position as shown in FIG. 1A or 1B is referred to as the state in which the movable pillar 13 is in the first position, and the state in which the movable pillar 13 is in the first position as shown in FIG. 1C. The state in which the movable pillar 13 is rotated backward and stored in the storage portion 18 is said to be in the second position.

When the movable pillar 13 is in the first position, the rear hood 1
5 covers the rear of the vehicle body, simply fixing the rear hood 15 to the vehicle body around the movable pillar 13 and storage area 18 is insufficient to support the rear hood 15, and if left as is, the rear hood 15 will flap during driving. A problem arises. For this reason, in this embodiment, a link or the like is provided inside the rear hood 15 to support the rear hood 15 so that it does not flap. FIG. 2 shows the structure of this link etc. for extending the rear hood, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state when the movable pillar 13 is in the first position, excluding the rear hood 15. .

This rear hood overhanging structure extends the rear hood 15 between the movable pillar 13 and the windshield 16 along the upper hood link 20 having an overhanging portion 22 that extends outward from the inside, and along the periphery of the storage section 18. arranged,
Peripheral canopy links 30 for extending both side ends and the vicinity of the rear end of the rear hood 15 from the inside to the outside.
Furthermore, a pair of bands 41 and 42 for reinforcing the upper side ridge of the rear hood and suspending the peripheral canopy link 30 connect each end to the movable pillar 13 and the peripheral canopy link 30. The projecting portion 2 of the upper canopy link 20 is fixed to the
It is distributed through 2. This upper canopy link 20
The upper link 21 has a substantially inverted U-shape and has a protrusion in the center and is rotatably connected to the movable pillar 13 at both leg ends 23, 23, and the upper end is the tip of both legs of the upper link 21. It consists of lower links 25, 25 whose lower ends are rotatably connected to the side walls of the vehicle body, while the peripheral canopy link 30 is a U-shaped rear link facing rearward. 31, and a pair of front links 32, 32 whose rear ends are rotatably connected to both ends of the rear link 31 and whose front ends are rotatably connected to the movable pillar 13. Furthermore, first and second support plates 8 and 9 are provided on the left and right legs of the movable pillar 13 for reinforcing the connecting portion between the movable pillar 13 and the upper link 21 and the connecting portion between the front side links 32 and 32. Each is provided.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the movable roof device according to the present invention viewed from the left side of the vehicle body, and FIG. 4 is a front view of this roof device viewed from the front of the vehicle body. An example will be explained.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, the first support plate 8 is fixed to both leg ends of the movable pillar 13 (only the left leg is shown in FIG. 4) by bolts 8a and 8b, respectively. A second support plate 9 is joined to this first support plate 8. The lower end joints of the first and second support plates 8 and 9 are rotatably supported by the vehicle body (specifically, a bracket 66 and a backing plate 65 fixed to the vehicle body) by a shaft 13a, so that the movable pillar 13 is rotatable in the front and back of the vehicle body around this shaft 13a. In addition, in FIG. 3, only the position of the shaft 13a is shown, and the first and second support plates 8 and 9 are not shown.

A shaft 13b to which one end of a first link 71 for rotating the movable pillar 13 is rotatably connected is connected to the rear of the vehicle body of the shaft 13a at the lower end joint of the first and second support plates 8 and 9. established,
The other end 71a of this first link 71 is connected to the movable pillar 1
It is rotatably connected to the second link 72 fixed to the output shaft 101 of the gearbox 100 for three rotations. This gearbox 100 is driven by a motor 110, and when the rotation of the motor 110 is decelerated by the gearbox 100 and transmitted to the output shaft 101, the second link 72 rotates together with the output shaft 101, and this movement is transmitted via the first link 71. It is transmitted to the movable pillar 13 and rotates the movable pillar 13 about the shaft 13a. In addition,
In this example, since the gearbox 100 and the motor 110 are arranged at both leg ends of the movable pillar 13, in order to synchronize the rotation of both motors 110,
A power transmission cable (shaft) 120 connects the rotating shafts of both motors 110.

As described above, the rear hood 15 having the window glass 16 in the center is attached to the movable pillar 13 and the periphery of the storage section 18 behind the movable pillar 13. Canopy tension links 20, 30 for tensioning the rear hood 15 so that it does not flap when in the first position
are arranged as shown. That is, the projecting portion 22 of the upper hood link 20 contacts the vicinity of the top end of the rear window 16 between the top end of the rear window 16 of the rear top 15 and the movable pillar 13 from inside, thereby projecting the rear top outward. As a result, the portion of the rear hood 15 between the movable pillar 13 and the overhang portion 22 serves as the roof of the vehicle body and does not affect the rear visibility. Therefore, the length of the hood part for storing the rear hood along with the windshield can be secured, and the part that affects rear visibility is located at the overhanging part 22.
Since there is only the rear hood 15 in the rearward portion, the proportion occupied by the rear window 16 in this portion becomes large, and sufficient rearward visibility can be ensured. That is,
A part of the hood part necessary for storing the rear hood 15,
By using it as a part of the roof that does not affect rearward visibility, it is possible to secure the window glass area necessary for rearward visibility, and also ensure good storage of the rear hood 15 for convertible car type.

The upper link 21 constituting the upper canopy link 20 has a substantially inverted U-shape, and both leg ends 23 thereof are bent into an L-shape. The upper link 21 is rotatably supported by the second support plate 9 at this bending point 21a, and the tips 23a of the L-shaped legs 23 are connected to the lower links 25 and 25, respectively.
It is rotatably connected to the upper end 25a of. Furthermore, the lower end 25b of the lower link 25 is rotatably connected to a bracket 66 of the vehicle body.

On the other hand, when the movable pillar 13 is in the first position, the peripheral canopy link 30 is connected to the rear link 31 and the front link 32, which are hinged at the connecting point 33, to the peripheral part of the storage section 18. At this point, it comes into contact with the rear hood 15 from the inside and stretches it toward the exterior of the vehicle. At this time, the front end 32a of the front side link 32 is rotatably supported by the second support plate 9.

In this way, since both the canopy links 20 and 30 are connected to the second support plate 9 fixed to the movable pillar 13, the movable pillar 13 can be rotated rearward from the first position shown in the figure to move to the second support plate 9. When positioned at the second position, the two canopy links 20 and 30 are also rotated together with the movable pillar 13, and are stored in the storage portion 18 as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure.

The movement of the two canopy links 20 and 30 accompanying the rotation of the movable pillar 13 at this time will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing only the upper canopy link 20 taken out, and when the movable pillar 13 is in the first position, the upper link 21 stands upward and pivots to the movable pillar 13 at the bending point 21a. The leg tip 23a of this upper link 21
An upper end 25a of the lower link 25 is rotatably connected to the upper end 25a of the lower link 25, and a lower end 25b of the lower link 25 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body. On the other hand, the leg end 13 of the movable pillar 13
Since a is pivotally connected to the vehicle body, the motor 110 rotates the output shaft 11 of the gearbox 100 clockwise in the figure, and the first and second links 71, 7
2, when the movable pillar 13 is rotated rearward about the leg end 13a (rotation in the direction of the arrow), the upper link 21 bends at the bending point 21a.
Since the upper link 21 is pivotally connected to the movable pillar 13, the upper link 21 is also rotated together with the movable pillar 13. Therefore, the lower link 25 rotates around the lower end 25b, which is the pivot point to the vehicle body, and the pivot point 25b of the lower link 25 to the vehicle body and the pivot point 13a of the movable pillar 13 to the vehicle body. The positions of the movable pillar 13 are different as shown in the figure, and the pivot point 13a of the movable pillar 13 to the vehicle body is located above.
5 also rotates in the same direction, the upper link 21
Push the connecting point 23a upward (indicated by the arrow). Therefore, the upper link 21 rotates in the direction of the arrow together with the movable pillar 13, and rotates in the direction of the arrow relative to the movable pillar 13 about the bending point 21a. Due to this relative rotation, when the movable pillar 13 moves to the second position and is stored in the storage part 18 (the state shown by 13' in the figure), the upper link is moved as shown by 21'. It is stored in a state overlapping with the movable pillar 13'.
At this time, the first and second links 71 and 72 move to positions 71' and 72' (double-dashed line) in the figure due to the rotation of the output shaft 101 of the gearbox 100. Note that limit switches 91 and 92 are provided that operate by contacting the second link 72 at the upper and lower limit positions on the rotation trajectory of the second link 72, so that when the movable pillar 13 reaches a predetermined position, the motor is turned off. The drive of 10 is stopped.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing only the peripheral canopy link 30. 8 and 9 are movable pillars 1
A movable pillar 13 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body via a shaft 13a at the lower end of the joint between both plates 8 and 9, and the rear protruding portion 9a of the plate 9 is attached to the peripheral hood. tension link 3
The front end 32a of the front side link 32 of No. 0 is pivotally connected. When the movable pillar 13 is located in the first position, the peripheral canopy link 30 extends substantially horizontally, and in this position, the front link 3
2 is locked from rotating further downward, and the rear link 31 and the front link 3
The rear end of the rear link 31 is pulled by a pair of bands 41 and 42 (see FIG. 2) connected to the movable pillar 13 so that the rear link 31 is held in a horizontal state.

From this state, when the movable pillar 13 is rotated backward and moved to the second position, the first and second support plates 8 and 9 are moved to the shaft 1 as shown by 8' and 9'.
It rotates around 3a and is located in the storage section 18. Therefore, the rear link 31 and the front link 32 also move downward and are located in the storage section. At this time, both links 31 and 32 are bent upwardly in a convex shape centering on connecting portion 33, and both links 31' and 3
As shown by 2', it is arranged to be housed along the curved surface of the tire house outer plate 59.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the movable roof device according to the present invention, including the movable pillar 13 and the upper canopy link 2.
0 and the peripheral canopy link 30 are rotated as described above by the rotational force of the motors 110, 110, which are decelerated by the pair of left and right gearboxes 100, 100.
The rotation is controlled between the first position and the second position. Note that the rotation shafts of both motors 110, 110 are connected via a cable 120, and both motors 110, 11
The rotation of 0 is synchronized.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the movable pillar 13 is moved to the second position, the rear hood is stored in the storage section, and the rear hood is covered with the hood cover 1 in the automobile having the roof device according to the present invention. be. When installing the top cover 1 in this way, as shown in FIG.
is inserted into an insertion hole 17b drilled in the rear body plate 17a, so that the tip of the pin 2 pushes the switch plate 3a of the attachment detection switch 3 attached to the body plate 17a, and this detection switch 3 is changed from ON to OFF. In this example, when the detection switch 3 is turned off, the motor 110 that drives the movable pillar 13 is not operated, and a control circuit for this purpose is shown in FIG.

This circuit includes a changeover switch 153 that is manually operated by a passenger or the like, upper and lower limit switches 91 and 92, first and second relays 154 that are activated by the switching operation of the changeover switch 153,
155 and the attachment detection switch 3 are wired as shown. The changeover switch 153 is the fuse 1
A line 153a connected to the power supply 151 via 52
, the line 1 connected to the upper limit switch 91
53b or the line 153c connected to the lower limit switch 92,
For example, when the top cover 1 is not attached and the attachment detection switch 3 is ON, the line 15 is
3a and the line 153b, the upper limit switch 91 is in the ON state unless the movable pillar 13 reaches the first position and is in the upright state, so the coil 154d of the first relay 154 is energized, and the switch of this relay is turned on. A line 154a connected to the power source 151 and a line 154c connected to one terminal of the motor 110 are connected. At this time, the line 155c connected to the other terminal of the motor 110 is connected to the line 155b connected to the ground because the second relay 155 is not energized, so the motor 110 is energized and the movable pillar 13 is moved from the second position. It is rotated to stand up to the first position. Note that when the movable pillar 13 reaches the second position, the second link 72 switches the upper limit switch 9 as described above.
1 and turns it off, the energization to the coil 154d of the first relay 154 is stopped, and the energization to the motor 110 is also stopped. however,
The top cover 1 is installed and the installation detection switch 3 is activated.
When it is OFF, the first relay 154 does not operate even if the changeover switch 153 is operated, and the movable pillar 13
is retained as is.

On the other hand, the line 153 is
When the line 153c is connected to the line 153c, the coil 155d of the second relay 155 is energized, and the switch of this relay connects the line 1 connected to the power source 151.
55a is connected to a line 155c connected to the other terminal of the motor 110. At this time, the coil 154d of the first relay 154 is de-energized, and the line 154c connected to the one terminal of the motor 110 is connected to the line 155a.
is connected to the line 154b connected to ground, and therefore the motor 110 is energized in the opposite direction to that described above and is driven in the opposite direction. For this reason,
The movable pillar 13 is rotated so as to be tilted from the first position to the second position. When the movable pillar 13 reaches the second position, the lower limit switch 92 is turned OFF and the motor 110 is turned off.
drive is stopped.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are sectional views showing different means for detecting attachment of the top cover 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the tip of the pin 4 may be used to push the switch plate 5a of the attachment detection switch 5 to turn it off. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, a hole 17 is made in the rear body trim 17d.
switch shaft 6a of the attachment detection switch 6 through e.
may be made to protrude, and when the top cover 1 is installed, the switch shaft 6a may be pushed in by the top cover 1 to turn off the installation detection switch 6.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the vehicle has a roof device of a type in which a movable pillar is used to form a canopy roof above the rear of the vehicle body, and a roof panel is formed in front of the movable pillar. Although described above, the present invention is not limited to this type of vehicle, but can also be used in convertible type automobiles that have been in practical use. That is, when the entire roof is formed of a foldable canopy and the canopy support mechanism that supports this canopy and folds the entire canopy is driven by a drive means such as an electric motor, the canopy is folded by the canopy support mechanism. When the vehicle is stored and the top cover is attached, the attachment detection means may detect this attachment, and at this time, the driving means may not be operated.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the canopy forming at least a part of the roof is supported by the canopy support mechanism, and the canopy roof can be freely folded by driving the canopy support mechanism by the driving means. In this movable roof device, when the canopy is covered with a canopy cover after the canopy is folded and stored, the attachment of the canopy cover is detected by the attachment detection means, and based on this detection, the driving means is prevented from operating. This prevents the drive means from operating with the top cover attached, and prevents excessive force from being applied to the top support mechanism and the drive means, thereby preventing damage to them.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1A to 1C are perspective views of an automobile having a movable roof device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a state in which the rear hood is stretched, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the rear hood is removed from the state shown in FIG. 1A. , FIG. 1C shows the rear hood and roll bar stored in the storage section, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a link structure for extending the rear hood in the movable roof device according to the present invention, and FIG. A side view of the movable roof device according to the present invention viewed from the left side of the vehicle body,
FIG. 4 is a front view of the movable roof device according to the present invention viewed from the front of the vehicle body, FIG. 5 is a side view showing the upper canopy link in the device of FIG. 3, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of the movable roof device according to the present invention; FIG. 8 is a rear view of an automobile having the movable roof device according to the present invention. Perspective view, Figure 9 is the 8th
10 is an electric circuit diagram for controlling the rotation of the movable pillar, and FIGS. 11 and 12 show different examples of the mounting detection means according to the present invention. FIG. 1...Top cover, 3...Attachment detection switch, 1
3...Movable pillar, 13a...Pivot shaft, 15...
Rear hood, 20... Upper hood link, 30... Peripheral hood link, 66... Bracket, 71...
...First link, 72...Second link, 83...Vehicle rear pillar, 100...Gearbox, 11
0...Motor, 120...Cable.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A foldable top that forms at least a part of the roof; a first position that supports the top and covers an upper part of the vehicle body to form a vehicle roof; a canopy support mechanism that is movable between a second position for storing the canopy in a predetermined position; a driving means for moving the canopy support mechanism between the first position and the second position; a canopy cover that covers the canopy when the canopy support mechanism is moved to the second position and the canopy is folded and stored in the predetermined position; and the canopy cover is attached to cover the canopy. A movable roof device for a motor vehicle, comprising: attachment detection means for detecting that the top cover is attached; and drive prohibition means for prohibiting operation of the drive means when the attachment detection means detects that the top cover is attached.