JPH07266894A - Roof opening and closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To suppress or preventing the rotational moment in the direction of unfolding a front roof from increasing in a storage member at the time of storage and also, lower the stress generated in the elastic member, while adopting such structure that the elastic member for rotates and energizes the front roof in the direction of unfolding is interposed between the front roof and the rear roof for preventing the fall of the front roof caused by clearance or error in assembling. CONSTITUTION:A folding mechanism 101, which rotates a front roof 3 to a rear roof 4, is provided with a coil spring 53, which rotates and energizes the front roof 3 in the direction of unfolding position by engaging one end 53a with the lever 9 of the side of the front roof 3 on one hand, and engaging the other end with the first bracket on the side of the rear roof 4 on the other, and a long guide hole 53 is made at the section of engagement to one end 53a of the lever 9, and this guide hole 52 is provided with a circular part 52b centering upon the first pivotal point P1 being the center of rotation of the front roof 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roof opening / closing device capable of changing a state in which a roof is expanded to cover a vehicle compartment and a state in which the roof is folded and stored.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a roof opening / closing device, a roof is formed of a hard material such as an iron plate or resin capable of retaining its shape, and is divided into a front roof and a rear roof. There is known a device that is configured to move to a deployed position that covers a chamber and a storage position that is folded and stored in a storage unit (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-416).
(See Japanese Patent No. 7).

In this conventional apparatus, as shown in FIG. 10, a roof 70 is composed of a front roof 73 and a rear roof 74, and the rear end of the front roof 73 is folded to the front end of the rear roof 74. They are connected via a mechanism 71.

A drive mechanism 90 is connected to the folding mechanism 71. The drive mechanism 90 is pivotally supported on the rear roof 74 by being pivotally connected to the first link 75 whose one end is rotatably connected to the folding mechanism 71 and the other end of the first link 75. Bell crank 76, a second link 77 rotatably connected to the bell crank 76, a joint bracket 78 rotatably connected to the second link 77 and pivotally supported on the rear roof 74. And a fitting 8 having one end rotatably connected to the joint bracket 78 and the other end fixed to the vehicle body.
A third link 79 rotatably connected to 0 and one end rotatably connected to the fixture 80,
A roof set bracket 81 whose other end is fixed to the lower end of the rear roof 74, and a fourth link 8 whose one end is rotatably connected to the roof set bracket 81.
2 and a fifth link 83 whose one end is rotatably connected to the other end of the fourth link 82 and whose other end is rotated by a motor 84.

In the above-mentioned device, when the roof 70 in the deployed position A is moved to the storage position B, the motor 84 is driven to rotate the fifth link 83 in the direction of the imaginary line, and the fourth link 82 pulls the roof set bracket 81 downward, and the roof set bracket 81 pivots rearward about the connection point with the fixture 80. As a result, the rear roof 74 also rotates rearward integrally with the roof set bracket 81, and the third link 79 also rotates in the same direction.

Since the positions of the rotation centers of the third link 79 and the roof set bracket 81 are different,
The link 79 rotates the joint bracket 78,
Along with that, the second link 77 is pulled, the bell crank 76 is rotated, and further, the first link 75 is pulled.

As a result, the folding mechanism 71 is actuated to rotate the front roof 73 so that the inner surface thereof faces the inner surface of the rear roof 74, and finally, as shown by the imaginary line, the roof 70 is opened. It is folded and stored in the storage unit 72.

[0008]

However, in the roof opening / closing device using the folding mechanism 71 using the link or gear and the drive mechanism 90 as described above, both mechanisms 71,
A slight clearance is required between the gears of 90 or between the link and the shaft around which the link rotates, and some assembling error may occur.
Therefore, the front roof 73 farthest from the motor 84, which is the drive source, is folded with respect to the rear roof 74 by a size obtained by adding these clearances and assembly errors when the front roof 73 is placed in the deployed position A. It fell in the tatami direction,
This causes a problem that it is difficult for the outer surfaces of the rear roof 74 and the front roof 73 to be flush with each other.

In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to provide an elastic member such as a spring between the front roof 73 and the rear roof 74 to urge the front roof 73 to rotate in the direction of lifting it. In this case, the front roof 73
However, it is possible to prevent the rear roof 74 from falling in the folding direction due to clearance or the like at the deployed position.

However, in the structure in which an elastic member is simply interposed between the two members 73 and 74, when the roof 70 is folded and stored, it corresponds to the angle at which the front roof 73 rotates with respect to the rear roof 74. The elastic member is also elastically deformed in the direction opposite to the urging direction. When the elastic member is deformed in this way, the urging force on the front roof 73 is strengthened and a large moment is generated in the developing direction, and at the same time, the elastic member is deformed. A large stress is generated in.

Therefore, when the roof 70 is folded, a large driving force is required to counter the increasing moment due to the elastic member, and it becomes necessary to use a large motor 84, which causes an increase in cost and the motor. There is a problem that the energy consumption of 84 becomes large, and furthermore, as the elastic member, it is necessary to set a member having a strength enough to withstand the stress generated at the time of storage, which causes a problem that the elastic member becomes large. Occurs.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems. In order to prevent the front roof from falling due to the clearance and the assembly error as described above, a front roof and a rear roof are provided. While adopting a structure in which an elastic member for biasing the front roof in the deploying direction is interposed between
The object of the present invention is to suppress or prevent an increase in the rotational moment of the elastic member in the direction of developing the front roof during storage, and to reduce the stress generated in the elastic member.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, the roof is divided into a front roof and a rear roof, the rear end of the front roof and the front end of the rear roof. A folding mechanism for rotating the front roof relative to the rear roof so that the inner surfaces of both roofs face each other is provided between the rear roofs, and the rear roof is rotatably supported by the vehicle body. A drive mechanism for moving the rear roof and the folding mechanism from a deployed position where the front and rear roofs cover the vehicle compartment to a storage position where the roofs are folded and stored in the storage portion of the vehicle body In the roof opening / closing device, the first engaging portion is engaged with the member on the front roof side between the member on the front roof side and the member on the rear roof side of the folding mechanism. On the other hand, a second engaging portion is provided on the member on the rear roof side. An elastic member is provided that urges the front roof to rotate in the deployed position direction by elastic deformation between both engaging portions, and one of both engaging portions is attached to either one of the front and rear roofs. On the other hand, the other of the two engaging portions is movably engaged with an elongated hole formed in the other of the front and rear roofs, and the elongated hole is formed by a folding mechanism. A structure is adopted in which the other engaging portion is restricted from being displaced with respect to the one engaging portion when the rear both roofs are relatively rotated.

The elongated hole may be provided with an arcuate arc portion centered on the center of rotation of the front roof. As the elastic member, for example, a coil spring can be used.

[0015]

[Function] When both the front and rear roofs are arranged in the deployed position and the vehicle compartment is covered by the roof, the elastic force provided by the folding mechanism biases the front roof in the deployed position. Even if a clearance is set between the rotating parts and gears of the folding mechanism and the driving mechanism or there is an assembly error, the front roof rotates in the folding direction from the deployed position with respect to the rear roof. The outer surface of both the front and rear roofs can be made flush with each other in the deployed position.

Next, when the drive mechanism is driven to move both the front and rear roofs toward the storage position, the front roof is rotated relative to the rear roof by the operation of the folding mechanism. . With this rotation, one engagement portion of the elastic member maintains a fixed engagement state with one of the front and rear roof side members of the folding mechanism, but the other engagement portion. The junction moves along the slot.

Since the engaging portion of the elastic member moves along the elongated hole in this manner, the relative rotating angle between the engaging portions of the elastic member is larger than the relative rotating angle of the front and rear roofs. The elastic deformation amount of the elastic member becomes smaller accordingly. Therefore, the rotational moment in the deploying direction of the front roof that is caused by elastic deformation of the elastic member during storage is reduced, and the stress generated in the elastic member is also reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, while the other engaging portion of the elastic member moves along the circular arc portion of the elongated hole, both engaging portions of the elastic member are not displaced relative to each other. ,
The rotational moment and stress do not occur.

[0019]

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

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a roof opening / closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the device of this embodiment, the roof 1 covers a developed position (shown by a solid line) A covering an upper portion of a vehicle compartment R and a vehicle body. This is a device for moving to a storage position (illustrated by an imaginary line) B which is stored in a storage section 2 provided in the rear part. The roof 1 is composed of a front roof 3 and a rear roof 4 formed of a hard material that retains a shape such as an iron plate and a resin, and both roofs 3 and 4 at the unfolded position A are The inner surface faces the passenger compartment R and the outer surface is flush with each other.

In explaining the apparatus of this embodiment, first,
A configuration for moving the roof 1 will be described.

The front roof 3 is constructed by joining a roof outer 5 and a roof inner 6 as shown in FIG. 4 which is a sectional view taken along the line aa in FIG. 3, and a nut 7 is provided on a side portion of the roof inner 6. The front end of a lever 9 extending rearward of the vehicle body is fixed by the bolt 8 and the bolt 8.

As shown in FIG. 5, which is a sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 3, the rear roof 4 is also constructed by joining the roof outer 10 and the roof inner 11 to each other. The first bracket 14 is fixed to the position by the nut 12 and the bolt 13.
The first bracket 14 is provided with a bolt 16 screwed into a nut 15, and a bush 18 is interposed in the bolt 16 to rotatably support the lever 9. The center of rotation of the lever 9 will be referred to as the first
It is called pivot point P1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In FIGS. 4 and 5, 46 is a side window glass and 47 is a weather strip.

Then, as shown in FIG.
The front end of the first link 20 is rotatably connected to the rear end of the lever 9 extending rearward from the first pivot point P1.

A second bracket 21 is fixed to the rear roof 4 near the rear end of the first link 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the second bracket 21 is provided with a bolt 23 screwed into a nut 22, and a bush 25 is inserted in the bolt 23 so that the bell crank 26 can rotate. It is supported. The rear end of the first link 20 extending in the front-rear direction is rotatably connected to one of the protrusions 27 of the bell crank 26, and the other protrusion 28 extends in the vertical direction. The upper end of the second link 29 is rotatably connected. The center of rotation of the bell crank 26 by the bolt 23 will be described below.
It is called the second pivot point P2 (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG.
As shown in, the third bracket 32 is fixed.
An upper pin 56 is projectingly provided on the third bracket 32, and the roof set bracket 36 is attached to the upper pin 56.
Is rotatably supported, and the upper end of the roof set bracket 36 is fixed to the lower end of the rear roof 4.

Further, a lower pin 57 is provided on the third bracket 36 so as to project directly below the upper pin 56, and a cam 58 is pivotally supported on the lower pin 57. As shown in FIG. 2, the cam 58 has a cam hole 59 formed at the upper end thereof, and the cam pin 60 protruding from the roof set bracket 36 is provided in the cam hole 59. It is inserted freely. Further, a lower end portion of the second link 29 is pivotally supported by the spherical joint 61 on the cam 58. The center of rotation of the roof set bracket 36 by the upper pin 56 is hereinafter referred to as the second pivot point P3 (see FIG. 2).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper end of the drive link 44 is rotatably connected to the lower end of the roof set bracket 36, and the lower end of the drive link 44 is connected. Is rotatably connected to the front side of the center of the circular gear 42 and to the lower end thereof. Further, the circular gear 42 is rotatably connected to a motor 45 (FIG. 3).

The operation of opening and closing the roof 1 with the configuration described above will be described.

When the roof 1 is moved from the deployed position A to the retracted position B, the motor 45 is driven to drive the circular gear 4.
2 is rotated in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Then, simultaneously with the start of rotation of the circular gear 42, the lower end of the drive link 44 moves upward while drawing an arc locus shown by (a) in FIG. Therefore, the lower end portion of the roof set bracket 36 is pushed up by the drive link 44, and the roof set bracket 36 is moved to the third pivot point P.
While tilting the upper end part rearward about 3 as shown in FIG.
Rotate as shown in (b). As a result, the rear roof 4 also starts to rotate integrally with the roof set bracket 36.

When the roof set bracket 36 pivots clockwise about the third pivot point P3 in this manner, the cam pin 60 also rotates about the third pivot point P3 along the locus shown by (c) in FIG. Move. Therefore, the cam pin 60 makes sliding contact with the cam hole 59, and the cam 58 rotates counterclockwise around the lower pin 57, so that the lower end of the second link 29 moves forward in FIG.

For this reason, the bell crank 26 is left without being rotated by the second link 29, and the first link 20 is also left in the front edge of the rear roof 4 in substantially the same manner as in the unfolded position A of the roof 1. Stay connected to the department. Therefore, by rotating the front roof 3 integrally with the rear roof 4 in this state, the front edge portion of the front roof 3 moves upward from the vehicle compartment R as indicated by G in FIG. Move on a path that goes away.

After that, when the cam pin 60 reaches the end of the cam hole 59, the cam 58 starts rotating clockwise.
As a result, the lower end of the second link 29 moves in the direction of returning to the same position as the deployed position A. Therefore, the bell crank 26 is rotated counterclockwise about the second pivot point P2 by the second link 29, and the first link 20 presses the rear end portion of the lever 9. Therefore, the lever 9 starts abrupt rotation in the counterclockwise direction about the first pivot point P1, whereby the front roof 3 is folded so that the inner surface faces the inner surface of the rear roof 4. Go. Then, when the circular gear 42 rotates about 1/3, the front roof 3 and the rear roof 4 are separated from each other as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
The storage position B housed in is reached.

In this way, the locus of movement of the front roof 3 from the deployed position A to the storage position B is determined by the second link 29.
Depends on the displacement of the lower end of the
Since the lower end portion of the second link 29 is pivotally supported by the cam 58, if the shape of the cam hole 59 provided in the cam 58 is changed, the displacement timing of the lower end portion of the second link 29 also changes. The movement locus of the front roof 3 also changes as shown by.

As described above, the folding mechanism 101 is a component for rotating the front roof 3 with respect to the rear roof 4, such as the lever 9, the first bracket 14, the nut 15, and the bolt 16. , A drive link 4 driven by a motor 45 from a first link 20 connected to the lever 9.
The drive mechanism 102 is the component up to the number 4.

Next, the characteristic structure and operation of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view of the folding mechanism 101. As shown in FIG. 1, a support bracket 50 is fixed to the rear end of the lever 9, and the support bracket 50 includes the lever. 9 has a supporting piece 51 which is parallel to the side surface (see FIG. 5), and the supporting piece 51 has a linear portion 5
A guide hole 52 formed in a substantially J shape by 2a and the arc portion 52b is provided. The arc portion 52b of the guide hole 52 is formed in an arc shape centered on the first pivot point P1.

One end portion (first engaging portion) 53a of a coil spring (elastic member) 53 is engaged with the guide hole 52. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the first bracket 14 fixed to the rear roof 4 has a pin 54 projecting slightly forward (see FIG. 1) from the first pivot point P1. The coil spring 53 is wound around the outer periphery of the pin 54. The other end (second engaging portion) 53b of the coil spring 53 is fixedly engaged with the first bracket 14, and the coil spring 53 rotates the lever 9 in the clockwise direction in FIGS. It is attached in a state in which it is elastically deformed so as to be dynamically biased.

Therefore, when the roof 1 is in the deployed position A, the coil spring 53 urges the lever 9 in the clockwise direction to lift the front roof 3 upward. However, it prevents the folding mechanism 101 and the driving mechanism 102 from rotating downward due to necessary clearances and assembling errors, so that the outer surfaces of the roofs 3 and 4 are flush with each other. To do.

On the other hand, when the roof 1 is moved to the storage position B, the lever 9 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the rear roof 4, and accordingly, one end 53a of the coil spring 53 is guided. The hole 52 is moved from the straight line portion 52a toward the circular arc portion 52b, and when the roof 1 is moved to the storage position B, it is arranged at the end of the circular arc portion 52b.

As described above, when the lever 9 is rotated, the one end portion 53a of the coil spring 53 does not rotate together with the lever 9, so that each end portion 53 of the coil spring 53 is rotated.
The amount of elastic deformation between a and b is suppressed, and the rotational moment in the deployed position A direction with respect to the front roof 3 does not increase,
The stress does not increase.

That is, FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram of the turning moment generated in the coil spring 53 corresponding to the turning angle of the lever 9, and (a) shows (b) when one end 53a is fixed to the lever 9. Shows the case of the present embodiment, and as shown in this figure, in the case of (a) in which the one end portion 53a is fixed to the lever 9, the rotation moment increases in proportion to the rotation angle of the lever 9, In the case of (b) of the present embodiment, the increase of the rotation moment is slight even if the rotation angle of the lever 9 is increased. In (B), the range indicated by s in the figure is a state in which the one end portion 53a is moving on the linear portion 52a, and at this time, the rotational moment is slightly increased.
In the range indicated by r in the figure, the one end portion 53b is the arc portion 52.
b is moving, and at this time, one end 53
Since a is not displaced at all, the rotational moment does not increase at all.

As described above, the effects listed below can be obtained in this embodiment.

A coil spring 53 for urging the lever 9 to rotate upward is set between the lever 9 and the rear roof 4, so that the folding mechanism 101 and the drive mechanism 102 may be driven by a clearance in the drive transmission system. It prevents the rear roof 3 from falling from the normal position with respect to the rear roof 4,
At the deployed position A, the outer surfaces of the roofs 3 and 4 can be flush with each other.

Coil spring 53 and rear roof 4
Engagement with the support bracket 50 fixed to the
Is a circular arc portion 5 having an arc shape centered on the first pivot point P1.
Since the roof 2 is provided, the winding of the coil spring 53 is not strengthened even when the rotation angle of the lever 9 (front roof 3) with respect to the rear roof 4 is increased when the roof 1 is stored, and the front roof 3 is unfolded to the expanded position A. The rotational moment acting to rotate in the direction does not increase. Therefore, the driving force of the motor 45 is small, the motor 45 can be made compact and the energy consumption can be reduced, and the stress generated in the coil spring 53 at the time of storage is small, and the durability is excellent. Furthermore, since the stress of the coil spring 53 does not increase, a coil having a small winding diameter can be used, and this portion can be made compact.

Since the front roof 3 is wound around the pin 54 by using the coil spring 53 as an elastic member for urging the front roof 3, the installation space is small and compact.

The movement trajectory of the front roof 3 that reaches the storage position B from the deployed position A depends on the displacement of the lower end of the second link 29, and in the present embodiment, this displacement is provided on the cam 58. Since it can be determined by the shape of the cam hole 59 that is formed, the movement locus of the front roof 3 can be arbitrarily set so as to avoid the passenger compartment R as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. It is possible to relieve the occupant's sense of pressure at the time, and it is possible to relax the design limitation for things such as a headrest that may interfere with the front roof 3.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the present invention includes a design change and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the invention.

For example, although the coil spring 53 is shown as the elastic member in the embodiment, the elastic member may be any member as long as it biases the front roof 3 toward the deployed position A,
You may use other elastic members, such as a leaf spring, a fluid damper, and rubber.

[0050]

As described above, in the roof opening / closing device of the present invention, the folding mechanism is provided with the elastic member for urging the front roof to rotate in the developing position direction. The first and second engaging portions are fixedly engaged with one of the front roof side member and the rear roof side member, while the other member is engaged with the other member so as to be relatively movable by an elongated hole. The combined structure prevents the front roof from rotating in the folding direction with respect to the rear roof when the front and rear roofs are placed in the deployed position. The effect is that the outer surfaces of both the rear and rear roofs can be made flush. Moreover, when the front and rear roofs are rotated in the storage position direction, one of the engaging ends of the elastic member moves in the elongated hole, so that the relative rotation angle of the front and rear roofs is increased. The relative rotation angle of both ends of the elastic member can be made smaller than that of the elastic member. As a result, the moment for rotating the front roof in the deployed position direction caused by the displacement of both ends of the elastic member is reduced and the elastic member is The stress that occurs in is also small. Therefore, the driving force required to operate the driving mechanism can be small, the driving source can be made compact, and the energy consumption of the driving source can be reduced.
The effect that the durability of the elastic member can be improved is obtained.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2,
Since the arcuate part, which has an arcuate shape centered on the center of rotation of the front roof, is formed in the long hole, both ends of the elastic member are relatively displaced while the engaging end part of the elastic member is moving in this arcuate part. And the moment and stress do not occur,
The above effect can be further improved.

In addition, in the invention according to claim 3,
Since the coil spring is used as the elastic member, the installation space is small and the device can be made compact.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view showing a main part of a roof opening / closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line aa of FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line bb of FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line cc of FIG.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line dd of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a movement trajectory diagram of the roof of the embodying apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a rotation moment characteristic diagram of the coil spring corresponding to the rotation angle of the lever of the embodiment apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Roof 2 Storage Section 3 Front Roof 4 Rear Roof 9 Lever (Front Roof Side Member) 14 First Bracket (Rear Roof Side Member) 52 Guide Hole (Elongated Hole) 52b Arc Part 53 Coil Spring (Elastic Member) 53a One end part (first engaging part) 53b Other end part (second engaging part) 101 Folding mechanism 102 Drive mechanism

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A roof is divided into a front roof and a rear roof, and the front roof is relatively positioned with respect to the rear roof between the rear end of the front roof and the front end of the rear roof. A folding mechanism is provided for rotating and folding so that the inner surfaces of both roofs face each other, the rear roof is rotatably supported by the vehicle body, and both the front and rear roofs are supported by the rear roof and the folding mechanism. In the roof opening / closing device, a drive mechanism is connected to move both roofs from a deployed position that covers the passenger compartment to a storage position where the roofs are folded and stored in the storage portion of the vehicle body. Between the member on the roof side and the member on the rear roof side, the first engaging portion is engaged with the member on the front roof side, while the second engaging portion is engaged with the member on the rear roof side. And the elastic deformation between both engaging parts Is provided with an elastic member for rotatably urging the two in the deployed position direction, and one of the two engaging portions is fixed to either one of the front and rear roofs, while the other of the engaging portions is Is movably engaged with an elongated hole formed in the other of the front and rear roofs, and the elongated hole of the other is formed when the front and rear roofs are relatively rotated by a folding mechanism. A roof opening / closing device, wherein the engaging portion is formed in a shape that restricts displacement with respect to the one engaging portion. 2. The roof opening / closing device according to claim 1, wherein the elongated hole is provided with an arcuate arc portion centered on a rotation center of the front roof. 3. The roof opening / closing device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a coil spring.