JPH0336414Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention relates to a connector that can be used in a mechanism for engaging and disengaging front and rear traveling bodies in a double sliding roof of an automobile.

(Prior art and its problems) As an example of opening and closing an opening provided on the roof of an automobile using, for example, two front and rear slide panels, the front and rear slide panels are provided on the front and rear traveling bodies, respectively, and the opening is opened. When forming the opening, first move the rear slide panel forward and stack it on the front slide panel, then stack the two slide panels on the root surface of the front room of the vehicle in the overlapping state, and when forming the above opening, It is possible to have a configuration in which the two overlapping slide panels are retreated to the front slide panel closed position, and from there, only the rear slide panel is further retreated.

By the way, in the case of such a sliding roof configuration, after the rear sliding panel is stacked on top of the front sliding panel during the opening operation, the front and rear traveling bodies corresponding to each sliding panel are connected and unite to move further forward. On the other hand, during the closing operation, it is necessary to disconnect the front and rear traveling bodies at the closed position of the front slide panel and to hold the front traveling body in that position.

Conventionally, various connectors have been developed to connect and disconnect two members, but in the case of the above-mentioned double slide roof configuration, the traveling body and other associated mechanisms are complicated. A connector with as simple a structure as possible is required to connect and disconnect the front and rear traveling bodies.

(Purpose of the invention) This invention is intended to overcome the above-mentioned technical problems, and aims to provide a connector with a simple structure that can be used in the locking/unlocking mechanism of a traveling body in a double sliding roof of an automobile. .

(Means for Achieving the Object) In order to achieve the above object, the connector of this invention is provided with a connector that is provided on the opposing inner side surfaces of the rail groove of the guide rail along the longitudinal direction from one end of the rail to the other end of the rail. A pair of pawl receiving recesses and a pair of outwardly expanding guide tapered surfaces are formed at intervals, and locking pawls are provided inwardly protruding from the tips of both sides of the U-shaped piece, and the outer surfaces of both sides A first connecting member having a first elastic U-shaped piece having a guided tapered surface corresponding to the guide tapered surface on its side is slidable onto the guide rail with its U-shaped opening facing toward one end of the rail. The second elastic U-shaped piece has locking claws that can be engaged with the claw receiving recesses protruding outward from the tips of both sides of the U-shaped piece, and a tension claw arranged in front of the locking claws. The second connecting member is slidably held on the guide rail with its U-shaped opening facing toward the other end of the rail, and the first connecting member is moved toward one end of the rail, thereby reducing the guided taper. The first elastic U-shaped piece is curved inward by sliding its surface against the guide tapered surface, and the locking pawl is pushed inward by the locking pawl to engage the locking pawl and the pawl receiving recess. The locking claw is configured to be locked to the tension claw at the same time as the locking claw is released.

(Example) Fig. 2a is a perspective view of a cab-over type car with a double slide roof to which a connector is applied, which is an embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2b is a perspective view showing the open state of the double slide roof. Figure c is a perspective view showing a state in which the back door is opened. In the above-mentioned double slide roof, a slide panel 3, which is attached to an opening 2 formed in a roof surface 1 of a vehicle so as to be openable and closable, is composed of two divided panels: a front slide panel 4 and a rear slide panel 5. When the slide panel 3 is in the closed state as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2c, when the slide panel 3 and the back door 6 are opened, there is one continuous opening from the top opening 2 to the rear opening 7. A slide panel opening/closing mechanism is provided below the slide panel 3, and the slide panel 3 is opened/closed by the operation of this opening/closing mechanism.

The details will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 to 9. FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a slide panel opening/closing mechanism provided along the right side of the opening 2. As shown in FIG. A slide panel opening/closing mechanism bilaterally symmetrical to this sliding panel opening/closing mechanism is provided along the left side of the opening 2, but its illustration is omitted. In the same figure a, 8 is a roughly groove-shaped guide rail,
A running body guide protrusion 8a having a T-shaped cross section is formed on the bottom piece along the longitudinal direction of the rail, and a cable insertion groove 8b is also formed on the inner wall surface of one of the rails along the longitudinal direction of the rail. A pair of guide rails 8 are installed along both left and right sides of the opening 2 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

The guide rail 8 has a front assembly A and a rear assembly B.
can be slid freely. The front assembly A is
It is mainly composed of a first traveling body 9, a front link 10, a rear link 11, and a front slide panel support 12. FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of the front assembly A. As shown in the figure, the first traveling body 9 has a lip groove 9a on its lower surface that can be engaged with the T-shaped protrusion 8a of the guide rail 8 (FIG. 4a), and a lip groove 9a on the rear end side of the upper surface. One connecting member 14 of the connector 13 shown in the figure is fixed. As shown in FIG. 1, this connecting member 14 includes an elastic U-shaped piece 15 having a pair of left and right side pieces 15a, and an upwardly protruding tension claw 28 extending in front of the U-shaped opening. A lock pawl 15b that projects outward is formed at the tips of the left and right side pieces 15a.
I try to engage with them. The front link 10 has a lower end pivotally connected to the front bearing 9b of the first traveling body 9 by a pin 16 and a pawl 17, and an upper end protruding from the front end of the front slide panel support 12 toward both sides. The pawl 1 is pivotally connected to one end of the pin 18.
9 prevents it from coming off. A guide roller 20 is rotatably attached to the outer periphery of these pins 18. The rear link 11 has a lower end pivotally connected to the rear bearing 9c of the first traveling body 9 by a pin 21 and a pawl 22, and an upper end pivotally connected to a pin 23 protruding from the rear end of the front slide panel support 12. Stopped by 24
It is prevented from coming out. And these previous links 10
The rear link 11 constitutes a so-called parallel link mechanism, and the front slide panel support 12 is guided up and down by this parallel link mechanism. A slide panel mounting piece 25 is provided at the rear end of the front slide panel support 12, a roller running guide piece 26 is provided from the front end to the rear end, and a roller receiving recess 27 is provided at the rear end position of the guide piece 26. It is formed.

The front assembly A assembled in this way is run on the guide rail 8 by engaging the lip groove 9a of the first running body 9 with the T-shaped protrusion 8a of the guide rail 8 (FIG. 4a). Can be installed freely. Then, the front slide panel A shown in FIG. 2 is arranged so as to span over the pair of left and right front assemblies A,
That is, the rear end portions on both sides of the front slide panel 4 are attached to the mounting pieces 25 (the fourth
It is placed on top of Figure a) and fixed with a screw fixing tool (see Figure 3).

Rear assembly B located on the rear side of front assembly A
As shown in FIG. 4, mainly the second traveling body 29
, a third traveling body 30 , a link mechanism including a first link 31 and a second link 32 , and a rear slide panel support 33 . 6 is an exploded perspective view of the rear assembly B, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts thereof, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of other main parts, and FIG. 9 is an assembled perspective view thereof. The second running body 29 has the eighth,
As shown in Figure 9, there is a guide rail 8 at the bottom.
It has a lip groove 29a that can be engaged with the T-shaped protrusion 8a (Fig. 4a), and a connecting member guide groove 29 in the middle part.
b is provided, and a bearing 29c is formed at the upper part. A leaf spring 34 is provided on the upper surface of this second traveling body 29.
is placed in the mounting hole 34a so as to pass through the bearing 29c, and is fixed with a screw 35. A stopper pin 36 is attached to the tip of the leaf spring 34. The bearing 29c also has a second link 32.
The lower end of is pivotally connected by a pin 37 and a pawl 38.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the third traveling body 30 has a lip groove 30a extending in the longitudinal direction in its lower part.
At the same time, the other connecting member 39 of the connector 13 shown in FIG. 1 is integrally formed in the intermediate portion.
As shown in FIG. 1, this connecting member 39 consists of an elastic U-shaped piece 39d having a pair of left and right side pieces 39a, and a locking claw 39b that projects inward is provided at the tip of the left and right side pieces 39a. At the same time, a guided tapered surface 39c that projects outward is formed on the outer surface side of the left and right side pieces 39a. and,
The guided tapered surface of the connecting member 39 is connected to a pair of left and right guide tapered surfaces 8d formed by widening the distance between both inner surfaces on the rear side of the vehicle body by a predetermined distance from the position of the pawl receiving recess 8c of the guide rail 8. 39c
By slidingly contacting the left and right side pieces 39a, the left and right side pieces 39a are elastically deformed inwardly and outwardly, thereby causing the side pieces 39a to
The locking pawl 39b at the tip engages and disengages from the tension pawl 28 of the connecting member 14 on the first traveling body 9 side.
As shown in FIG. 7, the third traveling body 30 is further formed with a stopper pin guide slit 40 that is continuous with the rear upper end surface of the connecting member 39. In addition, stopper pin receiving recesses 41 and 42, which can lock the stopper pin 36 of the second traveling body 29 (FIG. 9), are provided at the front and rear positions of the inner circumferential upper surface of the slit 40.
are provided respectively. Further, a bearing portion 30b is provided at the upper rear end position of the third traveling body 30, and the lower end of the first link 31 is connected to the pin 43 on this bearing portion 30b.
and are pivotally connected by a pawl 44. As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 39 of the third traveling body 30 is slidably penetrated into the connecting member guide groove 29b of the second traveling body 29, so that the upper end of the second link 32 is connected to the first link. 31 via a pin 45, a washer 46, and a pawl 47, and thus both traveling bodies 29, 30 are connected.

As shown in FIG. 7, a vertical hole 49 is formed between the lower front end surface of the third traveling body 30 and the hanging piece 48 disposed in front thereof, and the stopper pin lifting guide member 50 is inserted into this vertical hole 49. It can be installed so that it can be raised and lowered. Stopper pin lifting guide member 50
has a V-groove 50a formed on its upper surface to receive the stopper pin 36 of the second traveling body 29 (FIG. 6), and has guide pins 50b protruding from both sides. This guide member 50 has a guide pin 50b provided in an angular guide piece 51 provided on the inner wall surface of the guide rail 8 (FIG. 4).
(shown by broken lines in FIGS. 4a and b), the stopper pin 36 is lifted up and inserted into the entrance side of the slit 40 (FIG. 6).
The stopper pin 36 is held in the stopper pin receiving recess 41 of the slit 40 by lifting it upward while being held by the stopper pin 36 in the slit 40. Also, the stopper pin 36 is located at the back of the slit 40 when the stopper pin 36 is pushed into the back of the slit 40.
A tapered portion (not shown) is formed to raise the pin 6 and lock it in the stopper pin receiving recess 42.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the first link 31 is pivotally connected to a pin 52 protruding from the rear end side of the rear slide panel support 33, and is prevented from coming out by a pawl 53. Rear slide panel support 3
3, a guide roller 55 is rotatably attached to a pin 54 protruding from its front end, and a slide panel attachment piece 56 is formed at its rear end.

The rear assembly B assembled in this manner has the lip grooves 29a, 30a of the second traveling body 29 and the third traveling body 30 connected to the guide rail 8 (FIG. 4a).
A guide roller 5 is slidably attached to the guide rail 8 by engaging with the T-shaped protrusion 8a, and is also provided at the front end of the rear slide panel support 33.
5 is movably mounted on the roller running guide piece 26 of the front slide panel support 12, as shown in FIG. 4a. The rear slide panel 5 shown in FIG. 2 is arranged so as to span over the pair of left and right rear assemblies B, that is, the rear end portions of both sides of the rear slide panel 5 are attached to the mounting portions of the rear slide panel support 33. 56 and fixed with fixing devices such as screws (see FIG. 3).

In the rear assembly B, as shown in FIG. 4, the rear end of an operating cable 57 is connected to the third traveling body 30, and the operating cable 57 is guided forward through the cable insertion groove 8b of the guide rail 8. The front end is connected to a cable drive mechanism such as a cable motor (not shown). On the upper end surface of both sides of the guide rail 8, as shown in FIG. 4a, there is a notch 59 for locking the stopper pin 36 of the rear assembly B in the rear slide panel closed position, and a notch 59 as shown in FIG. 4c. A notch 60 is provided for locking the stopper pin 34 of the rear assembly B in the middle position of the rear slide panel when the front slide panel is opened.
The above-mentioned pawl receiving recess 8c for locking the lock pawl 15b of the connecting member 14 is provided. Further, on the inner surface of the guide rail 8, a stopper pin lifting guide member 50 (a seventh
A chevron-shaped guide piece 51 is formed for upwardly guiding the rear assembly B, while the guide tapered surface described above guides the guided tapered surface 39c of the connecting member 39 on the rear assembly B side slightly behind the pawl receiving recess 8c. 8d
is provided. Further, on the front side of the guide rail 8, as shown in FIG. 4, a guide plate 61 is provided for rollingly guiding the guide roller 20 of the front assembly A.
will be placed. The upper end of the guide plate 61 has a horizontal surface and the rear end has a vertical surface. When the front slide panel is in the closed position shown in FIG. 20 are opposed.

Next, the operation of the above device is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
This will be explained based on FIG. Figures 3a and 4a show the slide panel in a closed state. In this closed state, the lock pawl 15b of the connecting member 14 of the front assembly A is locked in the pawl receiving recess 8c of the guide rail 8, as shown in FIG. 1a, and the movement of the first traveling body 9 is restricted. The guide roller 20 provided at the front end of the front slide panel support 12 is in contact with the vertical surface of the guide plate 61 to hold the front slide panel 4 in the lowered position. Further, the stopper pin 36 of the rear assembly B is locked in the notch 59 of the guide rail 8 to restrict movement of the second traveling body 29, and the third traveling body 30 is also at the rear end position of the guide rail 8. , the first link 31 and the second link 32
The rear slide panel 5 is also in the lowered position due to the cooperative action of. At this time, the rear slide panel support 33
A guide roller 55 provided at the front end of the front slide panel support 12 is held in a roller receiving recess 57 of the front slide panel support 12. In this state, the front slide panel 4 and the rear slide panel 5 are located on the same plane as the roof surface 1 and close the roof surface opening 2.

In this closed state, when the operation cable 57 is pulled forward via a cable drive mechanism (not shown) by an operation from the indoor side, the third traveling body 30
moves forward, and on the other hand, the movement of the second traveling body 29 is restricted by locking the stopper pin 36 in the notch 59, so that the first link 31 and the second link 32
Due to the cooperative action, the rear end portion of the rear slide panel 5 is lifted upward via the rear slide panel support 33.

In this way, as shown in FIGS. 3b and 4b, when the third traveling body 30 moves to the position where the stopper pin receiving recess 41 corresponds to the notch 59, the stopper pin provided on the third traveling body 30 is lifted. The guide pin 50b of the guide member 50 rides on the chevron-shaped guide piece 51 provided on the guide rail 8 side and rises, lifts the stopper pin 36 to remove it from the notch 59, and locks it in the stopper pin receiving recess 41 instead. As a result, the second traveling body 29
The movement restriction is lifted, and after this, the second traveling body 29 and the third traveling body 30 are connected to each other so as to maintain a certain distance by the leaf spring 34, that is, the rear end of the rear slide panel 5 is at a predetermined height. It is held in a state where it is pulled forward. At this time, the front end of the front slide panel support 33 is connected to the guide roll 55.
is rolled and guided on the roller travel guide piece 26 of the rear slide panel support 12. In addition,
Immediately after the stopper pin 36 passes through the notch 59, the guide pin 50b of the stopper pin lifting guide member 50 moves over the chevron-shaped guide piece 51 and descends, thereby releasing the lifting and holding of the stopper pin 36 by the guide member 50.
Instead of this guide member 50, the upper end surface of the guide rail 8 continues to restrict the descent of the stopper pin 36, so the stopper pin 36 continues to be locked in the stopper pin receiving recess 41, and the second traveling body 29 and the third traveling body 30 are kept at a specified distance.

The rear slide panel 5 is
As shown in FIG. The restoring force causes the stopper pin 36 to move into the stopper pin receiving recess 41.
The movement of the second traveling body 29 is restricted again, and the leaf spring 3
4, the connection between the second traveling body 29 and the third traveling body 30 is released. Therefore, after this, when the operating cable 57 is pulled, only the third traveling body 30 moves forward, and due to the cooperative action of the first link 31 and the second link 32, it moves through the rear slide panel support 33. Then, the rear end portion of the rear slide panel 5 is further lifted upward. Further, as the third traveling body 30 moves forward, the stopper pin 36 moves relatively toward the back of the stopper pin guide slit 40 (FIG. 6).

The stopper pin 36 is inserted into the stopper pin guide slit 40 as shown in FIGS. 3d and 4d.
(Fig. 7), the slit 4
The stopper pin 36 is lifted by a taper portion (not shown) provided at the back of the stopper pin 36 and removed from the notch 60, and is instead locked in the stopper pin receiving recess 42. As a result, the movement restriction of the second traveling body 29 is released again, and the second traveling body 29 and the third traveling body 30 are connected by the leaf spring 34. In parallel with this, the connecting member 39 of the third traveling body 30
As shown in FIG. 1b, the guided tapered surface 39c is in sliding contact with the guide tapered surface 8d of the guide rail 8, and the left and right side pieces 39a are curved inward,
The locking claw 39b at the tip thereof is in a state of holding the tension claw 28 of the connecting member 14 on the assembly A side, and the locking claw 39b further advances and the other connecting member 14 is held.
Press the outer surface of the lock claw 15b. This results in
Left and right side pieces 15 of the connecting member 14 on the front assembly A side
a is curved inward as shown in FIG. As a result, the movement restriction of the first traveling body 9 is released, and the first traveling body 9 is connected to the third traveling body 30 via the connecting members 14 and 39. Therefore, the first traveling body 9, the second traveling body 29, and the third traveling body 30 are then pulled forward while keeping the distance between them constant.

Immediately after the first traveling body 9 starts moving forward, the guide roller 20 provided at the front end of the front slide panel support 12 is in contact with the vertical surface on the rear end side of the guide plate 61. , rising along its vertical plane. As a result, the front link 10 and the rear link 11 are raised, and the front slide panel 4 is lifted upward through the front slide panel support 12 together with the rear slide panel 5 placed overlappingly above it. thus,
When the guide roller 20 passes through the vertical surface of the guide plate 61 and moves to the upper end surface of the guide plate 61, the front slide panel 4 moves forward together with the rear slide panel 5 superimposed on it while maintaining its posture. go. and Figures 3e and 4e.
As shown in FIG.
When you move it to a position where it is completely superimposed on the top,
The cable drive mechanism of the operating cable 57 stops. In this way, the roof opening 2 is fully opened.

Closing of the slide panel is performed by moving the operating cable 57 rearward using a cable drive mechanism (not shown). The closing operation performed at this time is the opposite of the opening operation described above. At this time, between the front assembly A and the rear assembly B, the connection members 14 and 39 are as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the locking pawl 39b stops on the tension pawl 28, they are connected and pulled back together (in this state, the pressing force of the locking pawl 39b on the locking pawl 15b is released), and the front part When the slide panel 4 comes to the closed position, the lock pawl 15b engages with the pawl receiving recess 8c of the guide rail 8 due to its restoring action.
be regulated by that position. At the same time, in the rear assembly A, the guided tapered surface 39c of the connecting member 39 comes into sliding contact with the guide tapered surface 8d of the guide rail 8 at this position, so that the left and right side pieces 39a of the connecting member 39 move in the expansion direction. , the locking of the tensioning claw 28 by the locking claw 39b is released, and from then on, only the rear assembly B moves backward. The other closing operations are the opposite of the opening operations, so their explanation will be omitted.

As described above, according to the connector 13 of this embodiment, after the rear slide panel 5 is stacked on the front slide panel 4 during the opening operation of the double slide roof, the connector 13 corresponds to each of these slide panels 4 and 5. By connecting the front and rear traveling bodies 9, 29, it becomes possible to stack the front and rear slide panels 4, 5 on the roof surface 1 in a superimposed state, and at the time of closing operation, the front slide panel 4 reaches the closed position. When the vehicle is moved backward, the above-mentioned connection state is released, allowing only the rear slide panel 5 to move backward, and the front slide panel 4 is restricted to its closed position. Various operations can be easily performed.

(Effects of the invention) As described above, according to the connector of this invention,
While the front and rear connecting members can be connected at a predetermined position during forward movement, the above connection is automatically released at a predetermined position during backward movement, and at the same time, the series of operations for regulating the position of the front connecting member can be easily performed. Since this can be achieved with a simple configuration, it can be applied to an opening/closing mechanism such as a double sliding roof of an automobile, and the configuration can be realized simply and at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the attachment/detachment operation of a connector according to an embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cab-over type car equipped with a double slide roof to which the connector of this embodiment is applied, and Fig. 3 is an operation diagram showing the opening and closing operation of the double slide roof,
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the slide panel opening/closing mechanism, Figure 5
The figure is an exploded perspective view of the front assembly, Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the rear assembly, Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of its main parts, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the rear assembly.
The figure is an exploded perspective view of another essential part, and FIG. 9 is an assembled perspective view thereof. 8...Guide rail, 8c...Claw receiver recess, 8d
...Guide tapered surface, 14...Connecting member, 15...
...Elastic U-shaped piece, 15a... Side piece part, 15b... Lock claw, 28... Tension claw, 39... Connection member,
39a... Side piece part, 39b... Locking claw, 39c...
...Guided tapered surface, 39d...Elastic U-shaped piece.

Claims (1)

[Claim for Utility Model Registration] A pair of pawl receiving recesses and a pair of pawl receiving recesses extending outward at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction from one end of the rail to the other end of the rail on opposing inner side surfaces of the rail groove. A guide rail having a guide tapered surface formed thereon, a U-shaped piece having locking claws protruding inwardly from the tips of both sides, and a guided tapered surface corresponding to the guide tapered surface on the outer surface of both sides. a first connecting member having a first elastic U-shaped piece formed therein and slidably held on the guide rail with its U-shaped opening facing toward one end of the rail; and ends of both sides of the U-shaped piece. has a second elastic U-shaped piece having an outwardly projecting locking pawl that can engage with the pawl receiving recess and a tension pawl disposed in front of the second elastic U-shaped piece;
and a second connecting member slidably held on the guide rail with the opening facing toward the other end of the rail, and by moving the first connecting member toward one end of the rail, the guided The first elastic U-shaped piece is curved inward by sliding the tapered surface on the guide tapered surface, and the locking pawl is pushed inward by the locking pawl to connect the locking pawl and the pawl receiving recess. A connector characterized in that the locking pawl is configured to be locked to the tension pawl when the engagement is released.