JPS6135005B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sliding roof device for an automobile, and in particular,
A pair of left and right guide rails provided on a fixed roof having an opening, at least a pair of left and right shoes attached to these guide rails so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions, and a sliding roof attached to these shoes;
A pair of left and right flexible cables each having one end connected to each shoe and disposed along the sides and front of the opening, and a pair of left and right flexible cables disposed at the front central part of the opening so that the cables pass each other. The present invention relates to a sliding roof device for an automobile, comprising a driving means for simultaneously moving the sliding roof, and capable of opening and closing the opening on the sliding roof.

In general, in this type of sliding roof device, as understood from the above configurations, both the cables are flexible cables, so the driving means is operated to move both the cables simultaneously, and the In order to move the sliding roof in the front-back direction and open and close the opening (usually this opening is rectangular) in the sliding roof, both cables are bent along the opening. It is necessary to guide it so that it does not bend unnecessarily. However,
In this type of conventional device, the guide rail has a shape that is difficult to bend, so at the front corner of the opening, a guide member is connected to the tip of each guide rail using a connector. Means is employed for guiding both cables by (for example, a pair of pipes). For this reason, in the conventional device, a seam is formed between each of the guide rails and the guide member, and this seam may hinder smooth movement of the cable. In addition, in the conventional device, the guide member and the connector are required, which not only increases the number of parts and causes high costs, but also requires the sliding roof to be moved to open the fixed roof opening. In some cases, the guide member and the connector may be exposed to the outside, spoiling the appearance.

The present invention has been made to deal with such problems, and embodiments thereof will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an example in which the present invention is applied to a sliding roof device A of an automobile such as a camping car. In FIG. The opening 11 is releasably closed by a sliding roof 12. Furthermore, on the fixed roof 10,
A fixed roof 1 is bent along the opening 11 at the front.
A guide frame 13 extending to the rear part of 0 is fixed, and as shown in FIG. is fitted. Further, a sealing member 15 is fixed on the fixed roof 10 along the rear edge of the opening 11, as shown in FIG. The sliding roof 12 is surrounded by a sealing member 16 at its periphery, and in the closed state as shown in FIG.
5 and 16 prevent rainwater and outside air from entering. A pair of left and right shoes 17, 17 are fixed to the lower side of the sliding roof 12, and these shoes 17, 17 are connected to a pair of left and right shoes 17, 17 fixed to the support frame 10A (fixed to the fixed roof 10). It is attached to the guide rails 18, 18 so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions, respectively. The sliding roof 12 has one end connected to each shoe 17, 17, and the opening 11.
A pair of left and right flexible cables 19, 19 (see Fig. 4) arranged along the sides and front of the opening 1
They are configured to be opened and closed by simultaneously moving them in directions passing each other by a driving means 20 disposed at the front central part of the openings 1 and 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the driving means 20 is connected to the support frame 10A.
A base 21 is fixed to the top, and a handle 2 is rotatably attached to the base 21 and can be operated from inside the vehicle.
2 and the spiral wire rod 19 of both cables 19, 19
It consists of a pinion 23 that meshes with the cables 19a and 19a and is rotated by a handle 22 to simultaneously send both cables 19 and 19, and a cover 24. (Note that an electric motor may be used in place of the handle 22.) In this embodiment, each guide rail has a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG.
Cable 1 extends in the longitudinal direction on both sides.
A pair of left and right holes 18a that can movably accommodate the
18a, a pair of left and right slits 18b, 18b, which communicate with each of the holes 18a and open laterally, into which a part of the shoe 17 is fitted, and the holes 18a, 18.
a, an upper surface 18c above the slits 18b, 18b and on which the shoe 17 slides, and a fixed roof 10.
It has a lower surface 18d that is supported by the lower surface 18d, is relatively narrow in width, has a substantially E-shaped cross section, and has a vertically and horizontally symmetrical shape (i.e., a shape that is vertically symmetrical and horizontally symmetrical).
A guide rail 18 that is easily bent and formed integrally with the guide rail 18 is adopted, and the front portion of each guide rail 18 is bent inward to form the opening 11.
The drive means 20 extend along the opening 11 to the front central part of the drive means 20, and are connected to the drive means 20, respectively. As a result, in this embodiment, the right cable 19 is connected to the right hole 18 of the right guide rail 18.
a to the drive means 20, and the entire left cable 19 is movably guided through the left hole 18a of the continuous left guide rail 18, and the left cable 19 is guided to the drive means 20 through the left is guided to the drive means 20 through the right hole 18a of the guide rail 18,
The entire guide is movably guided through the left hole 18a of the continuous right guide rail 18. In addition, in this embodiment, since the guide rail 18 is adopted as each guide rail,
A shoe 17 whose cross-sectional shape is shown in FIG. 2 is employed as each shoe. Each shoe 17 includes an upper wall 17a that slides on each guide rail 18, and both side walls 17b, 1 extending downward from both sides of the upper wall 17a.
7b, both bottom walls 17c, 17c extending inwardly from the lower end of each side wall 17b and fitting into each slit 18b of the guide rail 18, and integrally attached to the inner end of the bottom wall 17c on the right side in FIG. It has a connecting portion 17d (a portion to which one end of the cable 19 is connected) that fits into the hole 18a of the guide rail 18, and is fixed to the lower surface of the sliding roof 12 via a stay 17A.

As is clear from the above configuration, in this embodiment, the front portion of each guide rail 18 is bent inward and no seam is created at the front corner of the opening 11, so each cable 19 can be moved smoothly. It is possible to do so. Further, in this embodiment, when the sliding roof 12 is moved rearward to open the opening 11, only the guide rails 18, 18 and a part of the drive means 20 (cover 24) are exposed to the outside. Therefore, the appearance does not deteriorate compared to conventional devices. In addition, in this example,
Since the front portion of each guide rail 18 is bent inward and connected to the drive means 20, there is no need to guide each cable 19 by another guide member, and the number of components of the sliding roof device A is reduced.
Of course, it is inexpensive.

5 to 8 show an example in which the present invention is applied to a sliding roof device B for a passenger car. In FIG.
It has a rectangular opening 31, which is releasably closed by a sliding roof 32. The sliding roof 32 has its peripheral edge bordered by an elastic seal member (not shown), and is in a closed state as shown in FIG. 5 (in this case, the sliding roof 32 is closed).
The outer surface of 2 and the outer surface of the fixed roof 30 match without any difference in level. ), the sealing member seals the gap between the sliding roof 32 and the opening 31 to prevent rainwater and outside air from entering. A pair of left and right front shoes 33, 33 and a pair of left and right rear shoes 34, 34 are assembled on the lower side of the sliding roof 32.
These shoes 33, 33, 34, 34 are connected to the support plate 3.
A pair of left and right guide rails 35 fixed on 0A,
35 so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions. As shown in FIG. 5, the support plate 30A is wider than the opening 31, has a length extending from the front part to the rear part of the fixed roof 30, and extends beyond the opening 30.
a, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, brackets 36,
It is assembled to the side rail 38 via 37. Note that this support plate 30A faces forward and serves as a climbing board.

Thus, in this embodiment, each guide rail 35 extends to the rear portion of the fixed roof 30. Note that the cross-sectional shape and the configuration of the front portion of each guide rail 35 are the same as those of each guide rail 18 in the upper embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 8, each front shoe 33 has no connecting portion to which one end of the cable is connected.
It is configured in the same way. Each rear shoe 34 is
As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the sliding roof 3
Each of the shoes 1 of the above embodiments has the same structure as the one shown in FIG.
It is configured in the same way as 7. Therefore, in this embodiment, one end of each cable (not shown) is connected to each rear shoe 34. Each cable is the same as the cable 19 in the above embodiment, and is movably inserted into each guide rail 35 in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and is directed past each other by the same drive means 20 as in the above embodiment. are configured to be moved simultaneously to The lifting mechanism 40 lowers the sliding roof 32 in the closed state by moving the rear shoe 34 rearward, and also lowers the sliding roof 32 in the closed state by moving the rear shoe 34 backward.
2 is raised by moving the rear shoe 34 forward, and a link 41 provided between the base plate 32A fixed to the lower surface of the sliding roof 32 and the rear shoe 34, and a link 41 fixed to the base plate 32A at the base end. A leaf spring 42 that constantly urges the sliding roof 32 downward by engaging with a pin 43 protruding from the rear shoe 34 at its free end, a slope cam 44 fixed to the guide rail 35, and a slope cam 44 fixed to the base 32A. It is composed of a slope cam 44 and an engaging element 45 that engages with the slope cam 44.

In this embodiment configured in this way, the first
In the closed state shown in the figure, the driving means 20 is operated to move both cables simultaneously, and both rear shoes 34,
34 to the rear, the rear part of the sliding roof 32 immediately lowers due to the action of the lifting mechanism 40.
Thereafter, the sliding roof 32 is sequentially housed between the support plate 30A and the fixed roof 30, and the openings 31 are sequentially opened. Note that the operation when returning to the above-mentioned closed state after opening in this manner is the opposite of the above-mentioned operation, and since it is thought to be easily understood, the explanation will be omitted.

By the way, also in this embodiment, each guide rail 35 is the same as the guide rail 18 in the above embodiment.
Since the configuration is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, the same effects and effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained by employing each guide rail 35.

The above description is based on typical embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. At least a pair of left and right shoes attached to both guide rails so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions, a sliding roof attached to these shoes, and a sliding roof connected to each shoe at one end and extending to the sides and front of the opening. The sliding roof includes a pair of left and right flexible cables arranged along the sliding roof, and a drive means arranged at the front central part of the opening to simultaneously move both the cables in a direction that lags behind each other. The present invention can also be applied to various types of sliding roof devices for automobiles in which the opening can be opened and closed by changing the structure as appropriate.

In short, in the present invention, in the various sliding roof devices described above, each of the guide rails includes a pair of left and right holes that extend in the longitudinal direction on both sides and can movably accommodate the cable, and each of these holes. a pair of left and right slits that communicate with each other and open laterally and into which a portion of the shoe is fitted; an upper surface that is above the hole and the slit and that the shoe slides into contact with; and a lower surface that is supported by a fixed roof. have,
A guide rail having a substantially E-shaped cross section and integrally formed in a vertically and horizontally symmetrical shape is employed, and the front portions of both guide rails are bent inward to extend along the opening to the front central portion of the opening. It has a particular feature in terms of its structure, which makes it possible to eliminate all the problems in the conventional device described in the introduction.

In addition, in the present invention, since the guide rail is integrally formed with a rough cross-sectional shape and a symmetrical shape vertically and horizontally, the stress that occurs when the guide rail is bent is reduced, and the stress that occurs when the guide rail is bent is reduced. We can expect the effect of being able to easily bend the guide rail by dispersing it without any problem, and it also becomes possible to use the guide rail upside down, so that it can be used on the left and right sides of fixed roof openings. The effect of being able to standardize the guide rails provided is also expected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of a motor vehicle such as a camper car equipped with a sliding roof device according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line - in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line - in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line - in Figure 1.
The figure is a partially enlarged plan view of the guide rail, drive means, and cable shown in FIG. 1. Figures 5 to 8
The figures show other embodiments of the present invention, in which Figure 5 is a partial plan view of a passenger car equipped with a sliding roof device according to the present invention, and Figure 6 is an enlarged view taken along the line - - in Figure 5. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line --- in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the -- line in FIG. 5. Explanation of symbols, 10...Fixed roof, 11...Opening, 12...Sliding roof, 17...Show, 18...
...Guide rail, 18a... Hole provided in the guide rail, 18b... Slit provided in the guide rail, 18c... Top surface, 18d... Bottom surface, 19...
Cable, 20... Drive means, A... Sliding roof device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of left and right guide rails provided on a fixed roof having an opening, at least a pair of left and right shoes attached to these guide rails so as to be slidable in the front and rear directions, and a sliding roof attached to these shoes, A pair of left and right flexible cables each having one end connected to each shoe and disposed along the sides and front of the opening, and a pair of left and right flexible cables disposed at the front central part of the opening so that the cables pass each other. In the sliding roof device for an automobile, the sliding roof device is provided with a driving means for simultaneously moving the opening and opening and closing the opening on the sliding roof, and each of the guide rails extends in the longitudinal direction on both sides. a pair of left and right holes that can movably accommodate the cable;
a pair of left and right slits that communicate with each of these holes and open laterally, into which a portion of the shoe is fitted;
Adopting a guide rail that has an upper surface above the hole and the slit, on which the shoe slides, and a lower surface that is supported by the fixed roof, and is integrally formed with a substantially E-shaped cross section and a vertically and horizontally symmetrical shape; A sliding roof device for an automobile, characterized in that the front portions of both guide rails are bent inward to extend along the opening to the front central portion of the opening.