WO1997045284A1

WO1997045284A1 - Motor vehicle with a rigid openable roof

Info

Publication number: WO1997045284A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/002728
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leonardo Fioravanti
Original assignee: Fioravanti S.R.L.
Priority date: 1996-05-29
Filing date: 1997-05-27
Publication date: 1997-12-04
Also published as: IT239752Y1; ITTO960121U1; ITTO960121V0

Abstract

The roof is supported at the rear so as to be slidable between two rear pillars (2) carried by the vehicle body and may be made to slide rearwardly to engage in a chamber (15) located within the rear boot lid (10) when this is open by pivoting about a releasable rear pivot (19). In the open condition of the roof (3), the rear boot lid (10) may be opened by pivoting about a releasable front pivot (17) to allow access to the luggage compartment (9). The rear window (7) can be pivoted or slid from its working position with the roof closed to a rest position with the roof open.

Description

MOTOR VEHICLE WITH A RIGID OPENABLE ROOF

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle with a

rigid openable roof in which the roof is housed in the

rear luggage compartment in its open condition.

Known roofs of this type have complicated mechanisms

which are very bulky and thus reduce the space available

for the luggage .

The object of the present invention is to avoid these

problems by a simple solution of extremely small bulk.

This object is achieved by means of a motor vehicle

having the characteristics defined in Claim 1.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present

invention will become apparent from the description

which follows, given with reference to the appended

drawings, provided purely by way of non-limitative

example, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a motor vehicle

according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-section taken on the line II-II of Figure 1,

Figures 3-5 illustrate three successive steps in

the opening of the rigid roof,

Figure 6 illustrates the step in which the rear

boot lid containing the roof is opened, and

Figures 7 and 8 are two side views of a variant in

two successive operative positions .

With reference to Figures 1 - 6, a motor vehicle

indicated 1 has a pair of facing pillars 2 which extend

upwardly from the waistline on each side of the rear of

the passenger compartment . Each of the pillars 2 serves

as a roll-bar and may house the external attachment for

the safety belt as well as a side air bag.

The rigid roof of the motor vehicle is indicated 3 and

is releasably connected at its front end to the upper

cross-member of the windscreen 4. The rear end of the

roof 3 is slidably supported between the tops of the two

pillars 2.

For this purpose, the roof 3 has profiled guide sections 5 along its side edges which can run on rotatable means

6 supported for rotation by the pillars 2. The

rotatable means 6 could be sprockets driven by an

electric motor which engage two racks carried by the

profiled sections 5.

The rear window indicated 7 is pivotable about a

transverse pivot axis 8.

Reference 9 indicates the luggage compartment which is

closed by a movable boot lid generally indicated 10.

The lid 10 includes a horizontal part 11 which closes

the top of the luggage compartment 9 and a rear vertical

part 12. The part 11 has an upper panel 13 and a lower

panel 14 which define a chamber 15. The side panels of

the chamber 15 support rotatable means 16 similar to the

rotatable means 6 described above, that is, preferably,

sprockets driven by an electric motor.

The front edge of the part 11 of the lid 10 is pivotally

connected to the body by a first releasable pivot

mechanism 17 for pivoting about the same transverse axis

8 as that about which the rear window 7 is pivoted. The rear edge of the part 12 of the lid 10 is pivotally

connected to the body by a second releasable pivot

mechanism 19 for pivoting about a second transverse axis

18 located close to the top of the rear bumper P.

Hence, when the pivot mechanism 19 is disengaged, the

lid 10 may be pivoted about the transverse axis 8 while,

when the pivot mechanism 17 is disengaged, the lid 10

may be pivoted about the transverse axis 18.

Releasable pivot mechanisms which can carry out the

function described above are known in the art, for

example from Italian Patent Application No. T094A000716,

which relates to a door for a motor vehicle which can be

opened selectively about one or other of its vertical

edges, whereby a detailed description of the structure

of the releasable hinge mechanisms 17 and 19 will not be

provided.

In the position illustrated in Figure 1, the lid is

opened by the disengagement of the pivot mechanism 19 by a known control mechanism and the pivoting of the lid

about the axis 8.

In order to open the roof of the vehicle, the pivot

mechanism 17 is disengaged by a known control device and

the lid 10 is pivoted about the axis 18 of the second

pivot mechanism 19 to the position illustrated in Figure

3 in which the part 11 of the lid 10 is aligned with the

roof 3.

The roof 3 is then slid rearwardly, for example by the

action of the sprockets 6 on the racks of the profiled

sections 5, until it enters the chamber 15 in the lid

10, the racks being brought into engagement with the

sprockets 16 as illustrated in Figure 4.

The sprockets 16 then insert the roof 3 fully into the

chamber 15 as illustrated in Figure 5.

The rear window 7 is pivoted in an anticlockwise sense

to bring it into a substantially horizontal rest

position illustrated in Figure 5. 8

6

The lid 10 is then closed, it being pivoted about the

axis 18 to return it to the position of Figure 1.

Figure 6 illustrates how it is possible to pivot the lid

10, containing the roof 3, about the axis 8 of the first

pivot mechanism after the pivot mechanism 19 has been

disengaged by a known control device.

It is clear from Figure 6 that the housing of the roof

in the lid 10 does not reduce the luggage-carrying

capacity substantially, the luggage being accessible by

opening of the lid in a conventional manner.

In the variant illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the rear

window 7 is slidable vertically and, in its rest

position illustrated in Figure 8, is located in a

housing 20 formed at the front of the luggage

compartment 9.

All the operations described above for the opening of

the roof, as well as the reverse operations for closing

it, may conveniently be controlled by electric or

hydraulic motors from a central electronic control unit so as to render the opening and closing of the roof

completely automatic.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle with a rigid openable roof, in

which, in its open position, the roof is housed in the

rear luggage compartment, characterised in that it

includes :

a pair of facing pillars (2) which extend upwardly

from the waistline on each side of the rear portion of

the passenger compartment,

a roof (3) which is releasably connected at its

front end to the upper cross-member of the windscreen

(4) and is supported at its rear end by first guide

means (6) so as to be slidable between the tops of the

two pillars (2) ,

a rear window (7) which is movable between an

active position in which it cooperates with the rear

edge of the roof (3) to close the rear of the passenger

compartment and an inactive rest position,

a movable boot lid (10) for closing the rear

luggage compartment (9) , having a first part (11) which

closes the top of the luggage compartment (9) and a

second part (12) , inclined to the first part, which

closes the rear of the luggage compartment, the front edge of the first part (11) being pivotally connected to

the body by a first releasable pivot mechanism (17) for

pivoting about a first transverse axis (8) close to the

base of the rear window (7) and the rear edge of the

second part (12) being pivotally connected to the body

by a second releasable pivot mechanism (19) for pivoting

about a second transverse axis (18) close to the top of

the rear bumper (P) ,

the first and second releasable pivot mechanisms

(17, 19) being adapted to allow the selective opening of

the boot lid (10) by pivoting about the first or second

of the two transverse axes (8, 18) ,

the first part (11) of the movable boot lid (10)

being constituted by two panels (13, 14) spaced from

each other so as to form a chamber (15) for receiving

the roof (3) and supporting it for sliding movement by

means of second guide means (16) ,

whereby the opening of the roof (3) of the motor

vehicle is achieved by the opening of the rear boot lid

(10) by pivoting about the second pivot axis (18) to a

position in which the first and second guide means (6,

16) are in alignment, the sliding of the roof (3)

rearwardly on the first guide means (6) and on the second guide means (16) so as to insert it fully into

the chamber (15) in the rear boot lid (10), after which

the rear boot lid (10) is re-closed while access to the

luggage compartment (9) is achieved by opening of the

rear boot lid (10) by pivoting about the first pivot

axis (8) .

2. A motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterised

in that the rear window (7) is pivoted at its base on

the vehicle body about the first transverse pivot axis

(8) of the boot lid and is brought into its rest

position by pivoting forwardly until it is in a

substantially horizontal position.

3. A motor vehicle according to Claim 1 ,

characterised in that the rear window (7) is vertically

slidable and is housed in a housing (20) in the luggage

space in its lowered, rest position.

4. A motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterised

in that the roof (3) has C-section profiled sections (5)

along its side edges and in that the first and second

guide means (6, 16) are constituted by rotatable means which cooperate with the profiled sections (5) .

5. A motor vehicle according to Claim 4, characterised

in that the rotatable means (6, 16) are constituted by

motor-driven sprockets which mesh with corresponding

racks carried by the profiled sections (5) .

6. A motor vehicle according to Claims 1-5,

characterised in that all the operations necessary for

opening and closing the roof, operating the rear window

and opening the luggage compartment are controlled by

electric or hydraulic motors from a central control

unit .