US20180056765A1 - Roof closure assembly and a wind deflector arrangement - Google Patents
Roof closure assembly and a wind deflector arrangement Download PDFInfo
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- US20180056765A1 US20180056765A1 US15/425,700 US201715425700A US2018056765A1 US 20180056765 A1 US20180056765 A1 US 20180056765A1 US 201715425700 A US201715425700 A US 201715425700A US 2018056765 A1 US2018056765 A1 US 2018056765A1
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- Prior art keywords
- arm
- wind deflector
- spring
- roof
- stationary part
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
- B60J7/00—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs
- B60J7/22—Wind deflectors for open roofs
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60J—WINDOWS, WINDSCREENS, NON-FIXED ROOFS, DOORS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES FOR VEHICLES; REMOVABLE EXTERNAL PROTECTIVE COVERINGS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES
- B60J7/00—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs
- B60J7/02—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs of sliding type, e.g. comprising guide shoes
- B60J7/04—Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels, e.g. rotary sunroofs of sliding type, e.g. comprising guide shoes with rigid plate-like element or elements, e.g. open roofs with harmonica-type folding rigid panels
- B60J7/043—Sunroofs e.g. sliding above the roof
- B60J7/0435—Sunroofs e.g. sliding above the roof pivoting upwardly to vent mode and moving at the outside of the roof to fully open mode
Abstract
A roof closure assembly for a vehicle having a roof opening, comprises a stationary part and a closure. A wind deflector arrangement includes an elongated wind deflector body having two ends which are connected to arm assemblies movably coupled to the stationary part and engagable by the closure in order to move the wind deflector body when the closure moves near a closed position. Each arm assembly comprises an arm connected between the wind deflector body and the stationary part, the arm being movably connected with respect to the stationary part and being biased by a first spring in a substantially rearward direction. An auxiliary arm is connected between the arm and the stationary part whereby the auxiliary arm is movably connected with respect to the stationary part. The auxiliary arm is biased with respect to the stationary part by a second spring into a substantially forward direction.
Description
- The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
- The present invention relates to a roof closure assembly for a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof including a stationary part to be attached to the vehicle roof, a closure configured to close the roof opening and to move at least to an open position rearward of the closed position, and a wind deflector arrangement movable between an upper active position in which it protrudes above the vehicle roof and a lower inactive position in which it is retracted below the fixed roof.
- Such roof closure assemblies are known. For instance WO 2010/083789 discloses such a wind deflector (WD) arrangement having a wind deflector body and on each lateral end of the wind deflector body, arm assemblies. The arm assemblies each comprise an arm which is movably attached to a stationary part and further an auxiliary arm on one end pivotally connected to the arm and on an opposite end movably connected to the stationary part. The arm is biased by a first spring near the movable connection with the stationary part and further the auxiliary lever is biased by an elastic member which biases the auxiliary arm in a vertical direction when the wind deflector arrangement is in its lower inactive position. So when the wind deflector is in its upper active position this elastic member is no longer biasing the auxiliary arm, and the biasing force for the wind deflector arrangement is now only derived from the first spring. Such roof closure assembly opened in a situation whereby the vehicle drives at a high speed for instance up to 320 kilometers per hour will most probably have difficulties to deploy the wind deflector arrangement above the fixed roof surface or to keep the wind deflector at a certain required height above the fixed roof due to the high aerodynamic load on the wind deflector arrangement.
- This Summary and the Abstract herein are provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary and the Abstract are not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor are they in-tended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the Background.
- According to one aspect of the invention, the auxiliary arm is biased with respect to the stationary part by a second spring into a substantially forward direction. The auxiliary arm may be rotatably and slidably connected to the stationary part, such that the auxiliary arm slides in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly. The auxiliary arm may be rotatably connected to the arm, by means of a pivot connection. The second spring may urge a lower part of the auxiliary arm in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part and the second spring may be attached to the auxiliary arm at a position centrally between the pivot parts with which the auxiliary arm is able to slide and rotate with respect to the stationary part. And further the arm may be rotatably and slidably connected to the stationary part such that the arm slides rearwardly with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly. So when the wind deflector arrangement is raised from a lower inactive position into an upper active position the lower part of the arm is moved under influence of the biasing force of the first spring into a rearward direction such that ultimately a pair of first pivot members around which the arm is rotatably and slidable movable, slides to the rear end of a first slot hole part. Simultaneously the lower part of the auxiliary arm is moved into a longitudinal forward direction under the biasing influence of the second spring whereby second pivot members around which the auxiliary arm is rotatably and slidably movable, slides to the front end of a second slot hole. So when the wind deflector arrangement is in its upper active position, both the arm and the auxiliary arm are in a position in which the lower parts of the respective arms are pressed by the biasing forces of the respective springs against the ends of the respective slot holes. This gives a stable basis for the wind deflector arrangement when the arrangement is subjected to high wind load forces generated when the vehicle drives with high speed. So the advantage is that the wind deflector arrangement and more precisely the wind deflector body in such conditions is supported well enough to maintain a certain required height above the fixed roof.
- According another aspect of the body, the wind deflector arrangement may comprise the first spring acting between the lower part of the arm and the stationary part and extending substantially parallel to the lower part of the arm such that the arm is biased to its rear most position. The first spring may be attached on one end to the inside of the arm and on an opposite end to the stationary part to an attachment positioned between the first pivot members. Because one of the ends of the first spring is attached to the arm the biasing force will always be directed in a substantial parallel direction to the arm regardless the position of the arm. The advantage of such an aspect is that the spring can be hidden inside the arm and is therefore hardly visible and also the spring does not take up any other packing space, such as when the spring would be attached on the outside of the arm such as shown in the above mentioned prior art document.
- According to yet another aspect of the invention, the first spring may have a lower spring rate than the second spring, as a matter of fact the spring rate of the first spring may lie in the range of 10% to 95% lower than the spring rate of the second spring. The magnitude of the first and the second spring rate are selected such that when the wind deflector arrangement is moved from a lower inactive position to an upper active position, in a first phase, the stronger second spring urges the lower part of the auxiliary arm to slide and rotate in a forward direction and simultaneously in this first phase the arm only rotates. In a second phase, the auxiliary arm only rotates further in an upward direction and under biasing influence of the weaker first spring the arm slides and rotates into a rearward respectively upward direction. So the spring rate of the second spring must be higher than the spring rate of the first spring to enable the wind deflector arrangement to move upward from an inactive to an upper active position. Upon closure of the wind deflector arrangement the closure, when moving to the closed position, engages the arms and because of the lower spring rate of the first spring this is a smooth engagement without generation of high forces that may withstand the cover and which may generate reversal movements of the cover due to the effects of a anti trap system.
- According to another aspect of the invention the auxiliary arm may be connected to the arm such that in the upper active position of the wind deflector arrangement the angle between a centerline through the auxiliary arm and a centerline through the second slot hole lies in the range of 30 to 90 degrees. With such angle conditions the wind deflector arrangement can withstand the high wind load forces generated at high vehicle speed. A further advantage is that when the same concept wind deflector arrangement is used on another vehicle and for instance the wind deflector arrangement height above the roof needs to be increased because of a different outside vehicle shape, in such occasion this can be easily done by using the same parts which would mean that the angle between the centerline of the auxiliary arm and a centerline through the second slot hole in such situation would have to be increased when the wind deflector arrangement is in its upper active position.
- According to another aspect of the invention the auxiliary arm may have a shape similar to a hockey stick, wherein the pivot connection may be positioned at an offset distance to a centerline through a second slot hole and wherein a second spring may bias second pivot members in a forward direction along a centerline through the second slot hole causing a biasing force to the pivot connection in an upward direction. Thus, due to the shape of the auxiliary arm and the second spring a torque is provided to the auxiliary arm and upper pivot with the arm to move the wind deflector to an upper active position. Also the shape of the auxiliary lever is made such that in the lower inactive position the auxiliary arm fits neatly on top of the part comprising the second slot hole i.e. the stationary part.
- According to yet another aspect of the invention, the wind deflector arms may be adapted to be engaged by a forward edge of the closure in a first phase and are adapted to be engaged by a slide pad attached to the closure in a second phase in order to move the wind deflector body towards the lower inactive position when the closure moves towards the closed position. Due to the geometry and angle of the wind deflector arms, upon movement of the closure towards the closed position, the first protruding part of the closure engaging the wind deflector arm is the forward edge of the closure. The angle between a centerline of the arm and a horizontal is chosen such that in the first phase of the engagement between closure and wind deflector arm the force applied on the closure is rather low, to such extent that a reversal movement of the cover due to a false anti trap detection is avoided. In a second phase the auxiliary lever has been rotated to a lower position which results in a reduced force to push the wind deflector arm in a downward direction, a slide part attached to the cover protruding in a downward direction pushes the wind deflector arm further downward into the inactive position of the wind deflector arrangement. Due to the shape of the protruding slide pad the wind deflector arm is pushed down in a quicker way, to make space for the closure to close the roof opening. To avoid that the wind deflector arm is pushed down too far, a matching cavity is created into the wind deflector arm in which the protruding slide pad of the cover fits when the cover arrives in its closed position.
- According to yet another aspect of the invention, the wind deflector body and the stationary part may also be connected by a flexible netting or mesh extending substantially the full width of the wind deflector body. The netting or mesh limits the upward movement of the wind deflector body and under the influence of the biasing force from the first and second springs, the arm stays in its upward active position and in that position keeps the netting or mesh taut, even under high wind load conditions caused by high vehicle speeds.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle having a roof closure assembly in its fixed roof. -
FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the wind deflector arrangement and the cover partly. -
FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged side views of the wind deflector arrangement respectively showing the upward active position and the downward inactive position. -
FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to that ofFIGS. 3 and 4 , but showing the wind deflector arrangement in an intermediate position. -
FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle having a roof closure assembly 1 in its fixed roof 3. The fixed roof 3 of the vehicle comprises aroof opening 2. The roof closure assembly 1 comprises at least one, but here twoclosures closures front closure 5 can be moved for selectively closing and at least partially opening saidroof opening 2 by a movement of an operating mechanism along astationary part 4, such as guide rails on a frame, in a manner known in the art. In the embodiment shown, thefront closure 5 is a so called top slider roof panel (or can be a spoiler roof panel) which is movable from its closed position within the roof opening 2 rearwardly and upwardly, butclosure 5 may also slide downwardly and rearwardly, (as a so called tilt/vent slide roof panel) or comprises a foldable roof cover or a number of slats or the like. - Within the circumference, but below the level of the roof opening 2, a
wind deflector arrangement 6 is mounted, preferably just behind thefront edge 8 of theroof opening 2. Thewind deflector assembly 6 comprises at least one, and preferably twowind deflector arms 10, which are each pivotally connected with a first end to thestationary part 4, and which carries at a second end awind deflector body 7 extending between thewind deflector arms 10 in a transverse direction with respect to the vehicle longitudinal axis, and further a pair ofauxiliary arms 14 pivotally connected to thearms 10. Saidwind deflector arrangement 6 is movable between a first upper active position in which it is operative and in which thewind deflector body 7 is positioned above the surface of the fixed roof 3, and a second, inactive position in which thewind deflector body 7 is positioned in a storage position, in a so called storage space, below the surface of the fixed roof 3, i.e. below the roof opening 2. Theclosure 5 is capable of moving thewind deflector arrangement 6 to at least the second position. - As is shown in the drawings for instance in
FIG. 3 ,wind deflector arm 10 is fixedly attached at its upper or forward end to, and might be integral withwind deflector body 7, while the rear lower end ofarm 10 is rotatably and slidably connected tostationary part 4. In the embodiment shown for instance inFIG. 3 ,arm 10 is provided with first pivot members 12, 12′ slidably engaging a firstslot hole part 11, which in this case is closed and straight and extends in longitudinal direction of the vehicle, such that the lower end ofarm 10 can move rearwardly and forwardly. First pivot members 12, 12′ comprises two pivots extending of opposite lateral sides of thearm 10 in opposite directions and each pivot engages in a slot of firstslot hole part 11. The slots are provide in two upwardly extending walls in thestationary part 4 which are spaced to each other such thatarm 10 in vicinity of first pivot members 12, 12′ fits in between the walls. Afirst spring 13 biases the lower end ofarm 10 in rearward direction, which in this case leads to a biasing force on thewind deflector arm 10 andbody 7 in a rearward direction.Spring 13 has a first connection point within thearm 10 and an opposite second connection point on thestationary part 4. The second connection point ofspring 13 lies in close proximity of the rearmost end part offirst slot hole 11. As such thespring 13 biases thearm 10 in a rearward direction but always also in a direction substantially parallel to thearm 10 regardless of its position. - The drawings further show that
wind deflector arrangement 6 comprises at eacharm 10 anauxiliary arm 14 together forming anarm assembly auxiliary arm 14 is rotatably connected at its upper end to arm 10 (here by pivot 21) and at its rear end slidably and rotatably connected to thestationary part 4, by second pivot members 16, 16′. The point of connection ofpivot 21 betweenauxiliary arm 14 andarm 10 is positioned at a location between the ends ofarm 10 and may vary with the design of thewind deflector arrangement 6. Preferably thepivot connection 21 lies at approximately 60% of the distance measured in a side elevation such as inFIG. 3 , between the first pivot members 12, 12′ and the front most part of thewind deflector body 7. Second pivot members 16, 16′ comprise two pivots extending of opposite lateral sides of theauxiliary arm 14 in opposite directions and each pivot engages in a slot ofsecond slot hole 19. The slots are provided in two upwardly extending walls in thestationary part 4 which are spaced to each other such thatauxiliary arm 14 in the vicinity of the second pivot members 16, 16′ fits in between the walls. Asecond spring 15 biases theauxiliary arm 14 in forward direction.Spring 15 has a first connection point to theauxiliary arm 14, seen in a side elevation such asFIG. 3 positioned right in between second pivot members 16, 16′ and an opposite second connection point on thestationary part 4. The first connection point ofspring 13 lies on a centerline throughsecond slot hole 19. - As can be seen in
FIG. 4 , thewind deflector arrangement 6 lies in its inactive position belowclosure 5, which is in its closed position.Slide pad 23 attached to the underside of theclosure 5 pushes thewind deflector arrangement 6 in a downward direction against the biasing force ofsecond spring 15.Second spring 15 applies this biasing force to the lower part of theauxiliary arm 14 in a substantially forward direction. Second pivot members 16, 16′ are positioned in the substantially rearmost part ofsecond slot hole 19. Theauxiliary arm 14 is provided withmain body 20 and the lower part to which the second pivot members 16, 16′ are attached. The upper part of theauxiliary arm 14 has thepivot connection 21 with thearm 10, the lower part is connected to the biasingsecond spring 15. The biasing force applied to the lower part is directed substantially in a forward direction parallel to a center line through thesecond slot hole 19.Pivot connection 21 lies at an offset distance to thecenterline 18. This offset distance causes the biasing force ofsecond spring 15 actually to create a torque around second pivot members 16, 16′, biasing the upper part of theauxiliary arm 14 and therewith thepivot connection 21 to rotate around second pivot members 16, 16′ in an upward rotational direction. The generally hockey stick shapedauxiliary arm 14 is shaped beneficially in that theauxiliary arm 14 fits neatly between thestationary part 4 and thearm 10 which lies just below the lower side ofclosure 5, which results in a tight vertical packaging of the parts involved. - In
FIG. 5 a position has been drawn in which thewind deflector arrangement 6 has been rotated into an intermediate position between the inactive and the active position. To reach this position the closure has been moved a certain distance to the rear thus allowing thewind deflector arrangement 6 to move from the inactive position in an upward direction. The actual movement of theclosure 5 is not in a straight line to the rear, it is in a curvature whereby from the closed position theclosure 5 in a first phase goes in an upward and rearward direction and in a second subsequent phase goes rearwards along a substantially straight line. In the position of theclosure 5 shown inFIG. 5 thewind deflector arrangement 6 has been rotated around the first pivot members 12, 12′, which members are still positioned in the front part offirst slot hole 11. The lower part of theauxiliary arm 14 has been moved from a position in the rearmost part of thesecond slot hole 19 towards the front side under the influence of the biasing force ofsecond spring 15 and has reached now theforward edge 22 of thesecond slot hole 19. -
First spring 13 has a lower spring rate thansecond spring 15. The spring rate of thefirst spring 13 lies in the range of 10% to 95% lower than the spring rate of thesecond spring 15, however in an preferred embodimentfirst spring 13 has a spring rate of between 0.7 N/mm and 0.85 N/mm andsecond spring 15 has a spring rate of between 1.45 N/mm and 1.8 N/mm. Other spring rates are possible, for instance in another embodiment the spring rates may lie higher or lower than the preferred embodiment, but still lie within the above mentioned range of 10%-95% relative to each other. - The position in
FIG. 5 of thewind deflector arrangement 6 shows, when theclosure 5 is moving to an open position, the position in which theauxiliary arm 14 is pushed to the front most edge of thesecond slot hole 19 and as such, from this position to a more upward position of thewind deflector arrangement 6, theauxiliary arm 14 can now only rotate further upward.Arm 10, from this position upon a further movement of theclosure 5 to the rear, is now able to move rearward, whereby the first pivot members 12, 12′ slide rearwardly throughfirst slot hole 11 under the influence of the rearward directed biasing force offirst spring 13. Also it is noted that in the position shown inFIG. 5 theslide pad 23 which was in engagement with thewind deflector arrangement 6 in its inactive position is now no longer in engagement and the engagement has now been taken over by the front part of theclosure 5. So between the inactive position of thewind deflector arrangement 6 and the position shown inFIG. 5 the engagement of the slide pad has been taken over by the front part of theclosure 5. The rearward movement of theclosure 5 leads ultimately to a position in whichclosure 5 is not in engagement witharms 10 anymore. As from this particular position thewind deflector arrangement 6 is now in its fully active position, wherebywind deflector body 7 is well above the fixed roof 3 and held in position by the connection to the netting 24. - The active position as is drawn in
FIG. 3 shows the first pivot members 12, 12′ in their rear most position infirst slot hole 11 and as such thearms 10 are blocked from further movement and the wind deflector is now in its highest position. Theauxiliary arm 14 is connected to thearm 10 such that in the upper active position of thewind deflector arrangement 6 the angle between a centerline 17 through theauxiliary arm 14 and acenterline 18 through thesecond slot hole 19 part lies in the range of 30 to 90 degrees. However in a more preferred range the angle is between 50 and 65 degrees. In this position bothfirst spring 13 andsecond spring 15 are still urging a biasing force on therespective arm 10 andauxiliary arm 14, thus applying a biasing force in an upward direction. This biasing force is able to withstand all of the aerodynamic forces that are applied to thewind deflector arrangement 6 from driving the vehicle with anopen closure 5 at very high speeds. As such thewind deflector arrangement 6 stays in an active position above the fixed roof 3 and does not move downwardly or does not collapse all together by the aerodynamic forces. - When the
closure 5 is closed again, the individual movements of the parts of thewind deflector arrangement 6 are carried out in a reversed direction. - The mesh or netting 24 extends the full width of
wind deflector body 7 and may also extend around the corners. The netting 24 is attached to thewind deflector body 7 and if extending around the corners also attached to thearms 10. Furthermore the netting 24 is fixed to a lower net fixing part which is in turn connected to thestationary part 4. - The
stationary part 4 may be a separate part as shown in the drawings which is attached to the lateral guides or the frame of theroof closure 5 assembly 1, it may also be integrated into the lateral guides. Thestationary part 4 may be a plastic or a metal part. - The springs are helical springs typically made of steel, preferably of hardened steel.
- The
slide pad 23 and the front part of theclosure 5 are typically made of plastic material such as PU or PVC or the like and are incorporated into the remainder of the encapsulation part extending circumferentially around the edges of theclosure 5. - From the foregoing it will be clear that the invention provides a roof closure and
wind deflector arrangement 6 which increases stability ofwind deflector arrangement 6 in an active position above the fixed roof 3 surface under influence of aerodynamic forces caused by high vehicle speeds. - The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above, and can be varied in different manners within the scope of the appended claims. Although the wind deflector assembly has been described as having an arm assembly at each end, it would be conceivable to have only one
arm assembly wind deflector body 7. - Also it is conceivable that the angle between the
centre line 17 through theauxiliary arm 14 and thecentre line 18 through thesecond slot hole 19 in an active position of thewind deflector arrangement 6 extends from 30 degrees to 135 degrees, whereby themain body 20 of theauxiliary arm 14 in situations of such larger angles is orientated perpendicularly toarm 10 when the wind deflector arrangement is in its active position.
Claims (20)
1. A roof closure assembly for a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof, comprising:
a stationary part to be attached to the fixed roof;
a closure configured to close the roof opening in a closed position and to move at least to an open position rearward of the closed position; and
a wind deflector arrangement movable between an upper active position in which it protrudes above the fixed roof and a lower inactive position in which it is retracted below the fixed roof, the wind deflector arrangement including:
a transverse elongate wind deflector body configured to be arranged near a front side of a roof opening in the fixed roof, said wind deflector body having two ends;
a pair of arm assemblies, each arm assembly comprising
an arm connected to each end of the wind deflector body and slidably and rotatably coupled to the stationary part and configured to be engaged by the closure in order to move the wind deflector body when the closure moves near the closed position;
a first spring configured to slidably bias the arm with respect to the stationary part in a substantially rearward direction;
an auxiliary arm connected between the arm and the stationary part whereby the auxiliary arm is movably connected with respect to the stationary part; and
a second spring configured to bias the auxiliary arm with respect to the stationary part into a substantially forward direction.
2. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary arm is rotatably and slidably connected to the stationary part, such that the auxiliary arm slides in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly.
3. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary arm is rotatably connected to the arm with a pivot connection.
4. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the arm slides rearwardly with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly.
5. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first spring acts between a lower part of the arm and the stationary part and extends substantially parallel to the lower part of the arm such that the arm is biased to its rear most position.
6. The roof closure assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the second spring urges a lower part of the auxiliary arm in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part and wherein the second spring is attached to the auxiliary arm at a position centrally between pivot parts with which the auxiliary arm is able to slide and rotate with respect to the stationary part.
7. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a first spring rate of the first spring is lower than a second spring rate of the second spring.
8. The roof closure assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the first spring rate of the first spring is in a range of about 10% to about 95% lower than the second spring rate of the second spring.
9. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary arm is connected to the arm such that in the upper active position of the wind deflector arrangement an angle between a center line through the auxiliary arm and a center line through an arm auxiliary slot at the stationary part is in a range of about 30 to about 90 degrees.
10. The roof closure assembly according to claim 7 , wherein a magnitude of the first and the second spring rates are selected such that when the wind deflector arrangement is moved from a lower inactive position to an upper active position, in a first phase, the second spring is stronger than the first spring and urges a lower part of the auxiliary arm to slide and rotate in a forward direction and simultaneously the arm rotates and in a second phase, the auxiliary arm rotates further in an upward direction and under biasing influence of the first spring the arm slides and rotates into a rearward respectively upward direction.
11. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary arm is rotatably and slidably connected to the stationary part within a slot, such that the auxiliary arm slides in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly, wherein the auxiliary arm is rotatably connected to the arm with a pivot connection, wherein the auxiliary arm has a shape similar to a hockey stick wherein the pivot connection is positioned at an offset distance to a centerline through the slot and wherein the second spring biases a second pivot connection in a forward direction along centerline causing a biasing force to the pivot connection in an upward direction.
12. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the arms of the wind deflector arrangement are configured to be engaged by a forward edge of the closure in a first phase and are configured to be engaged by a slide pad attached to the closure in a second phase in order to move the wind deflector body towards the lower inactive position when the closure moves towards the closed position.
13. The roof closure assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the wind deflector body and the stationary part are also connected by a flexible netting or mesh extending substantially a full width of the wind deflector body.
14. A wind deflector arrangement for a roof closure assembly in a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof, the wind deflector arrangement movable between an upper active position in which it protrudes above the fixed roof and a lower inactive position in which it is retracted below the fixed roof, the wind deflector arrangement comprising:
a transverse elongate wind deflector body configured to be arranged near a front side of a roof opening in the fixed roof, said wind deflector body having two ends;
a pair of arm assemblies, each arm assembly comprising:
an arm connected to each end of the wind deflector body and slidably and rotatably coupled to a stationary part of the roof closure assembly and configured to be engaged by a closure in order to move the wind deflector body when the closure moves near a closed position in which the closure closes the roof opening
a first spring configured to bias the arm with respect to the stationary part in a substantially rearward direction;
an auxiliary arm connected between the arm and the stationary part whereby the auxiliary arm is movably connected with respect to the stationary part; and
a second spring configured to bias the auxiliary arm with respect to the stationary part into a substantially forward direction.
15. The roof closure assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the auxiliary arm is rotatably and slidably connected to the stationary part, such that the auxiliary arm slides in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly.
16. The roof closure assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the auxiliary arm is rotatably connected to the arm with a pivot connection.
17. The roof closure assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the arm slides rearwardly with respect to the stationary part when the arm rotates upwardly.
18. The roof closure assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the first spring acts between a lower part of the arm and the stationary part and extends substantially parallel to the lower part of the arm such that the arm is biased to its rear most position.
19. The roof closure assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the second spring urges a lower part of the auxiliary arm in a forward direction with respect to the stationary part and wherein the second spring is attached to the auxiliary arm at a position centrally between pivot parts with which the auxiliary arm is able to slide and rotate with respect to the stationary part.
20. The roof closure assembly according to claim 14 , wherein a first spring rate of the first spring is lower than a second spring rate of the second spring.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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DE202016104784.6U DE202016104784U1 (en) | 2016-08-31 | 2016-08-31 | Roof closure device and a wind deflector device |
DE202016104784.6 | 2016-08-31 | ||
DE202016104784U | 2016-08-31 |
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US9902246B1 US9902246B1 (en) | 2018-02-27 |
US20180056765A1 true US20180056765A1 (en) | 2018-03-01 |
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US15/425,700 Active US9902246B1 (en) | 2016-08-31 | 2017-02-06 | Roof closure assembly and a wind deflector arrangement |
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KR101836736B1 (en) * | 2016-11-14 | 2018-03-09 | 현대자동차주식회사 | Rear spoiler apparatus for rv vehicle |
DE102019112187A1 (en) * | 2019-05-09 | 2020-11-12 | Webasto SE | Vehicle roof with a wind deflector device |
JP7434989B2 (en) | 2020-02-13 | 2024-02-21 | 株式会社アイシン | Vehicle sunroof unit |
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JP3668378B2 (en) * | 1998-09-16 | 2005-07-06 | 八千代工業株式会社 | Sunroof deflector for vehicle |
DE102004043620B4 (en) * | 2004-09-07 | 2008-02-14 | Webasto Ag | wind deflector |
DE102009005442B4 (en) * | 2009-01-21 | 2014-03-27 | Webasto Ag | wind deflector |
JP2012081876A (en) * | 2010-10-12 | 2012-04-26 | Yachiyo Industry Co Ltd | Deflector of sunroof device |
DE102011103980A1 (en) * | 2011-06-10 | 2012-12-13 | Webasto Ag | A wind deflector |
US8459729B1 (en) * | 2012-03-16 | 2013-06-11 | Webasto Roof Systems Inc. | Wind deflector assemblies for an opening of a vehicle roof |
DE102012111915B3 (en) * | 2012-12-07 | 2014-05-15 | Roof Systems Germany Gmbh | Wind deflector for a sunroof system |
US9168816B2 (en) * | 2013-09-11 | 2015-10-27 | Inalfa Roof Systems Group B.V. | Open roof construction for a vehicle |
DE102014004992B3 (en) * | 2014-04-02 | 2015-07-02 | Webasto SE | Wind deflector of an openable vehicle roof |
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2016
- 2016-08-31 DE DE202016104784.6U patent/DE202016104784U1/en active Active
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2017
- 2017-02-03 JP JP2017018287A patent/JP6856393B2/en active Active
- 2017-02-06 US US15/425,700 patent/US9902246B1/en active Active
Also Published As
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DE202016104784U1 (en) | 2017-12-04 |
US9902246B1 (en) | 2018-02-27 |
JP2018034774A (en) | 2018-03-08 |
JP6856393B2 (en) | 2021-04-07 |
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