JPH06316219A - Stackable and foldable roof with integral header and side rail - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a roof devised to minimize disturbance against a back seat space and free to be folded by using a doubly foldable roof having integrated side rail/header. CONSTITUTION: This roof has an integrated header and side rail 32, free to be pivotally moved on a rear rail, to be stored in the rear of the passenger seat, free to draw in and free to be folded by maximizing comfortability of the inside of a passenger room. A solid rear quarter window 40 is included, and strength and rigidity are added to the roof. The quarter window 40 pivotally moves to the inside of a side panel of a vehicle 10 when the roof is folded backward. The side rail 36 integrated on the roof needs only one piece of pivotally moving point, and can store all of archy materials to support a roof material in the rear of a passenger back seat 16. As another characteristic, it is possible to open a luggage compartment on the back of a passenger seat 12 by lifting up the rear archy material.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a retractable and collapsible roof for a vehicle, and more particularly to a single piece header with one pivot point and side rails.
The present invention relates to a foldable roof that maximizes space and comfort by tightly storing the foldable roof behind the passenger seats of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the collapsible roof of a vehicle has an articulated rail associated with the supporting arch of the roof, and also has a first pivot point behind the front seat. is doing. Therefore, the folding operation must sacrifice a significant portion of the rear seat area to allow the roof to fold along the sides of the seat and across the back of the seat.
This is a result of the large number of connections and the pivot point location of the roof. In these known collapsible roofs, the side rails supporting the roof above the side windows are at least 2
It has individual joint members. The main arch supporting the roofing material pivots downwards along the rear seats and the bulky roof 3
It forms part of the individual bow reinforcement. Another limitation of conventional collapsible roofs is that it is necessary to keep the windows in the lower position when retracting or closing the roof.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to minimizing disturbance to the rear seat area as follows.
The drawbacks of the known collapsible roofs are overcome by providing a folding roof stacking roof with an integral header and side rails for a tight storage of the roof. A key feature of the present invention is that it has a single pivot point and integral side rails that carry header rails.
More roofs can be stored in the vehicle. Unlike conventional roof constructions with articulated side rails, the roof joint of the present invention facilitates tight storage of the roof. The foldable roof of the present invention also has a rigid rear quarter window that pivots into the side panel of the vehicle body when the roof is folded rearward. This solid window makes the roof solid when it is closed. One bow is provided in the rear window to support the roof. The side rails pivot in the rear quarter windows to allow the entire assembly to be stowed behind the rear passenger seats. In addition to the linkages associated with the side rails and quarter windows, fourth and fifth bows supporting the roof are provided. The fifth or rearmost bow can be lifted to allow access to the rear luggage area of the vehicle. Thus, the present invention is
Provide a simple, manually folded roof with large quarter windows that descend with the roof for improved sealing and ease of operation. Tight storage is possible as a result of the rigid side rails that pivot on the rear rails. Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0004]

The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention when read through the drawings and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like reference numerals. Be understood. First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a vehicle 10 having an internal passenger compartment including a front seat 14 and a rear seat 16. The passenger compartment 12 has a fixed windshield 1
8, a side window 20, and a retractable, collapsible roof 22 embodying the invention. As is known, the collapsible roof 22 is collapsible to the stowed or lowered position at the rear of the vehicle 10. A cover or cover 24 is used to cover the folded roof in the stowed position behind the rear passenger seat 16. The roof 22 preferably has a vinyl or similar roofing material 26 that is folded to the rear of the vehicle and a series of support arches 28 that extend across the roof 22. The underlying rail and linkage configurations of the collapsible roof 22 of the present invention allow the roof to be conveniently folded behind the passenger compartment 12, as will be described in more detail below.

3-5, the collapsible roof assembly 22 includes a roof folding roof stacking mechanism 30 that facilitates folding the roof 22 rearward of the rear passenger seats. The roof stacking mechanism 30 is a double folding link mechanism, unlike the conventional triple folding assembly of a roof. The double folding roof stacking mechanism includes an integral integrated side rail and header 32 that is articulated to a pivotable rail 34. The integrated side rails and header 32 form a pair of substantially parallel side rails 3.
6 and a header rail 38 extending therebetween and rigidly coupled to the side rail 36. The side rail 36 is
It is rigidly formed and extends throughout the front passenger compartment of the vehicle 10. The side rails 36 are pivotally connected to a rigid rear quarter window 40, and the quarter windows 40 themselves are pivotally connected to the body of the vehicle 10 and are pivoted downward into the panels of the side body of the vehicle 10. It is designed to move. The connecting link mechanism 42 includes a pivotable rail 34.
Operatively connecting the pivotable quarter window 40 and the integrated side rail and header 32. The linkage 42 may take many forms to twist the actuating components of the roof stacking mechanism 30, the first form being shown in FIGS. 3-5 and another form being shown in FIG. It is shown. The connecting link mechanism 42 is used for the pivotable rail 3
4 and the quarter window 40 pivot downwards into the side body panels of the vehicle, allowing the integrated side rails and headers 32 to move rearward. In FIG. 6, the collapsible roof 22 is shown in both the closed and open positions. The transverse arch 28 is used to support and carry the roofing material 26 of the collapsible roof 22. The first bow 44 is associated with the header 38 and holds the front end of the roofing material 26. Second bow material 4
6 is preferably mounted to the integral side rail 36 in its approximately central position. A third or middle bow 48 is mounted at the rear end of the side rail 36 or, preferably, at the connecting linkage 42 of the roof stacking mechanism 30. Thus, the roof stacking mechanism 30 preferably carries three front cross-sections 28 so that the covering material 26 is fully folded behind the passenger compartment 12 as the roof 22 is folded and the passenger compartment is opened. become. Fourth
Or the penultimate traverse 50 is pivotally mounted to the vehicle body so that the rear portion of the roof is folded down. A fifth or rearmost cross-section 52 holds the trailing edge of the roofing material 26 and is generally flatly engaged with the vehicle body. The fifth bow 52 is fixed to the main body by known fixing means. However, the rearmost arch 52 is disengaged and the collapsible roof 22 is pivoted upwards with the retractable roof 22 in the closed position for selective access to the rear stowage area or luggage area of the vehicle 10. It may be moved. This is
It is convenient for the user to store food or the like from the rear of the vehicle 10 in the rear compartment. In the preferred embodiment, the roof 2
A cover or cover 24 used to store 2
But at the same time, it is used to hide the containment when the roof is lifted.

The operation of the foldable roof 22 is simple by opening the passenger compartment 12 while maximizing passenger comfort, especially in the rear seat area, by folding the roof 22 behind the rear seats 16. Provide the means. The rigid quarter window 40 pivots into the side panel of the vehicle 10. Thanks to the single piece side rails 36 and headers 38 and the pivot rods 34, the side rails 36 are wide, unlike in conventional convertible roofs where the side rails are folded along with the seat. It does not hinder rear passengers in terms of both visibility and visibility. The single piece side rails 36 pivoting in the quarter glazing 40 do not require the presence of the bulky three bow reinforcements found in other roofs. Further, the quarter windows 40 provide additional rigidity to the collapsible roof. The roof stacking mechanism 30 creates a single pivot point on a single piece side rail / header pivotable rail 34.

The interconnection movement of the roof 22 from the closed position to the open position is shown schematically in FIGS. 3-5 and in both positions in FIG. First, the header 38 is the vehicle 1
The latch is removed from the 0 windshield glass 18. The single-piece header 38 / side rail 36, then the windshield 1
It can be lifted away from eight. In the preferred embodiment, a spring assists in lifting the header 38. The header / side rails move up before the quarter window 40 begins to pivot down. As the header 38 pivots rearward,
The pivotable rail 34 also moves rearward, carrying the header / side rails to a position behind the passenger compartment. Quarter window 40
Pivots into the side panel of the vehicle and rail 34 pivots rearward into the vehicle, causing fourth bow 50 to pivot downwardly, folding roofing material 26 into vehicle 10 to secure passenger compartment 12 Open. The above detailed description has been given only for the sake of clarity, and those skilled in the art can clearly think of various modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. As such, it should be understood that this description does not provide unnecessary limitation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an elevation perspective view of a vehicle having a foldable roof of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevation perspective view of the vehicle with the roof in the lower storage position and the passenger compartment open.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a front link mechanism at a roof retracting start position.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a front link mechanism in a roof retraction intermediate position.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a front link mechanism at a roof retracted last position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a collapsible roof in both a raised position and a lowered position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Vehicle 12 Passenger Room 14 Front Seat 16 Rear Seat 22 Foldable Roof 26 Roof Material 28,44,46,48,50,52 Crossbow 30 Folding Roof Stacking Mechanism 32 Integrated Side Rail, Header 34 Pivot Possible rails 36 Side rails 38 Header rails 40 Quarter windows 42 Link mechanism

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A collapsible roof assembly for a vehicle having a passenger compartment, comprising: a plurality of transverse arch members; a rearmost arch member that engages a vehicle body and surrounds a rear portion of the vehicle; Foldable roof assembly having a foldable covering material supported by a penultimate bow that is pivotable rearwardly when the foldable roof is folded to open the passenger compartment, A folding roof stacking mechanism carrying at least one transverse bow supporting the material and including an integrally integrated side rail and header, wherein the integrated side rail and header are movable rearwardly. A folding roof stacking mechanism that is articulated to a moveable rail, the pivotable rail carrying the integrated side rails and headers to a stowed position behind the passenger compartment. Possible roof assembly convolution has been improved to free. 2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the folding roof stacking mechanism further comprises a rigid quarter window mounted on the pivotable rail, the quarter window pivotable to a vehicle. A foldable roof assembly that allows the window to be stowed within a side panel of a vehicle when the installed, foldable roof assembly is folded and unfolded. 3. The improvement according to claim 2, wherein the pivotable rail is provided with the local via a connecting rod that pivotally extends between the side rail, the quarter window and the pivotable rail. Collapsible roof assembly connected to windows and integrated rails and headers. 4. A collapsible roof assembly according to claim 3, wherein said connecting rod carries an intermediate transverse bow carrying a covering material. 5. A collapsible roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein said rearmost transverse arch is pivotable upwardly to provide selective access to a rear portion of the vehicle. . 6. A vehicle collapsible roof assembly having a passenger compartment, comprising: a plurality of transverse arch members and a rearmost arch member rigidly engaging the vehicle body and surrounding a rear portion of the vehicle. Folding a collapsible roof, a collapsible roof assembly having a collapsible covering material supported by a penultimate bow that is pivotable rearward when opening a passenger compartment, Integral side rails and headers carrying at least one transverse arch for supporting material and articulated to a pivotable rail mounted on the vehicle and pivotable on the vehicle And a rigid side quarter window attached to the pivotable rail to provide a folding roof stacking mechanism such that the rail is pivotable rearward to open the quarter window. A collapsible roof modified to include a collapsible roof stacking mechanism adapted to move cargo into a side panel and carry the integrated side rails and headers to a stowed position aft of a passenger compartment. Assembly. 7. The improvement according to claim 6, wherein the pivotable rail, the quarter window and the integrated side rail and header are articulated to one another via a connecting rod. A foldable roof assembly. 8. A collapsible roof assembly according to claim 7, wherein said connecting rod carries an intermediate transverse bow carrying a coating material. 9. The improvement of claim 6, wherein the rearmost transverse arch is selectively released from the vehicle to pivot the rearmost arch upward and selectively access a rear portion of the vehicle. A foldable roof assembly that makes it possible to do. 10. The improvement according to claim 6, wherein the side rails and the header integrated as a unit include a pair of parallel side rails and a header rail fixedly attached to a front end of the side rails. A foldable roof assembly having a cover material secured to the header rail such that the header rail is selectively connectable to a vehicle header portion. 11. A folding fold having a foldable covering material for a vehicle having a passenger compartment including a rear passenger seat and a rear storage area and selectively into a storage position behind a rear passenger seat. In a retractable roof assembly, the rearmost transverse arch that supports the covering material and is the rearmost transverse arch connected to the vehicle that is selectively pivotable upward to open the rear stowage area. Timber, pivotally connected to the vehicle, supporting the covering material, pivotable rearward when the collapsible roof assembly is folded, and the penultimate transverse arch member, and pivotable to the vehicle A support rail mounted and integrally articulated to the integrated side rail and header assembly, the side rail and header assembly including a pair of substantially parallel side rails and a front end of the side rails. Fixed A header mounted to the convertible roof assembly, and when the convertible roof assembly is folded into a storage position, the side rail integrated with the support rail and the header assembly are transported behind a rear passenger seat, A collapsible roof assembly that includes a support rail that maximizes passenger comfort. 12. The collapsible roof assembly of claim 11, further comprising a rigid quarter window pivotally coupled to the vehicle and the support rail, the quarter window being convertible. Roof assembly that pivots downward into the side panel of the vehicle when the flexible roof assembly is folded into the stowed position. 13. The collapsible roof assembly according to claim 12, wherein the quarter window, the support rail, and the integrally integrated side rail and header assembly articulate with each other via a connecting rod. Collapsible roof assembly tangentially coupled, the tie rods carrying an intermediate transverse bow that supports the coating material.