JPH04297323A - Openable roof structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the outward appearance of a movable roof by making an opening mechanism invisible from the inside of a car room irrespective of the state of a movable roof panel. CONSTITUTION:A cover member 11 is installed in the position of an opening mechanism 4 at the inside of a car room, and thereby this mechanism 4 is made invisible from the inside, while a running wind during car travel is made so as not to pass through the inside of the opening mechanism 4, thus a whistling noise is prevented from occurring.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an opening/closing roof structure for a vehicle, and more particularly to measures for improving the appearance from inside the vehicle.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, for example, Utility Model Application No. 55-567
As shown in Publication No. 19, an opening/closing roof is known in which an opening is formed in the roof panel of a vehicle, and this opening can be opened and closed by a movable roof panel such as a sunroof. There is. This type of opening/closing roof is provided with opening/closing mechanisms on both left and right edges of the opening of the roof panel for sliding the movable roof panel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body or tilting it up. This opening/closing mechanism includes a guide rail extending in the front and back direction along both left and right edges of the opening of the roof panel, and a guide member movable in the front and rear direction is provided on the guide rail. The movable roof panel is configured to open and close the opening by sliding the movable roof panel in the front-back direction as the member moves, and to perform a tilt-up operation to move the rear end of the movable roof panel upward. .

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in some conventional opening/closing roofs, the opening/closing mechanism disposed between the movable roof panel and the roof panel is visible from inside the vehicle. However, the appearance from inside the vehicle was poor, and improvements were required. In particular, when the movable roof panel is in the tilted-up state, a predetermined gap is formed between the rear end of the movable roof panel and the roof panel, so this opening/closing operation is difficult. The mechanism stands out from inside the vehicle, further deteriorating its appearance, so there has been a need for a configuration that can improve its appearance even in this tilted-up state. Furthermore, when the movable roof panel is opened or tilted up, part of the wind from the vehicle running may pass through the opening/closing mechanism, causing wind noise inside the opening/closing mechanism. There were some problems that caused the passengers to feel uncomfortable.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and the opening/closing mechanism of the movable roof panel is made invisible from inside the vehicle no matter what state the movable roof panel is in. To provide a configuration that can improve appearance and prevent wind noise during vehicle travel when a movable roof panel is opened or tilted up.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention covers the interior side of the opening/closing mechanism. Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 provides an opening/closing roof comprising a movable roof panel that can freely open and close an opening formed in the roof panel, and an opening/closing mechanism that at least opens and closes the movable roof panel. It is assumed that and a cover that hides the opening/closing mechanism at a position inside the vehicle interior of the opening/closing mechanism.
The structure is such that a means is provided.

[0006] According to the second aspect of the invention, the opening/closing mechanism is configured to be able to perform a tilt-up operation to move the movable roof panel upward, and the cover means follows this tilt-up operation. The structure is such that it includes a cover material whose height dimension can be changed freely.

[0007]

[Function] With the above structure, the present invention provides the following functions. In the first aspect of the invention, the movable roof panel is moved by driving the opening/closing mechanism to open and close the opening of the roof panel. Since the cover means is provided on the inside of the vehicle interior of the opening/closing mechanism, the opening/closing mechanism is not visible from inside the vehicle interior, and the appearance of the opening/closing roof is improved. Furthermore, while the vehicle is running when the movable roof panel is opened, the wind from the vehicle does not pass through the opening/closing mechanism, thereby preventing wind noise from occurring inside the opening/closing mechanism.

In the invention according to claim 2, when the movable roof panel is tilted up by the opening/closing mechanism, the movable roof panel is tilted up.
The height of the cover increases as the cover moves upward. As a result, the opening/closing mechanism can be reliably covered not only when the movable roof panel is in the closed and open states but also in the tilted up state.

[0009]

[Embodiment] Next, an embodiment of the opening/closing roof structure according to the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 1a is formed in a roof panel 1 of a vehicle, and a frame member 2 having a shape that substantially matches the periphery of the opening 1a is attached to this opening 1a. A movable roof panel 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the frame member 2 and opens and closes the opening 1a by sliding in the front-rear direction. This movable roof panel 3 substantially matches the shape of the opening 1a, and is configured to close the opening 1a at the front end position of its slide movement area and fully open the opening 1a at the rear end position. . Also, this movable rule
The rear edge of the front panel 3 is moved upward, that is,
It slopes upward as it goes toward the rear, and this rear edge and ru-
A tilt-up operation that creates a small distance between the front panel and the front panel 1 is possible.

[0010] An opening/closing mechanism 4 is disposed between the movable roof panel 3 and the frame material 2 for performing the above-mentioned opening/closing operation and tilt-up operation. This opening/closing mechanism 4 will be explained below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, on both left and right edges of the frame material 2,
A guide rail 5 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body over its entire length.
is formed. A guide member 6 is placed on the upper surface of the guide rail 5 and is movable along the guide rail 5 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. This guide member 6
is a guide pin 6a extending in the vehicle width direction at its front end.
An engaging portion 6b that can be engaged with a retaining hook 7 attached to the lower surface of the movable roof panel 3 is provided at the rear end. Further, this guide member 6 is connected to a drive motor 8 (see FIG. 3) disposed at the lower front end of the frame material 2 via a drive cable (not shown). The movement is made possible by the pulling action of the drive cable as the motor 8 is driven.

On the other hand, position plates 10 are attached to the left and right edges of the movable roof panel 3 via a lower panel 9. This lower panel 9 is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section when viewed from the front, and its horizontal surface 9a is connected to the lower surface of the movable roof panel 3. position plate 1
0 is secured with a screw. This position plate 10
The front end of the movable roof panel 3 is pivotally supported by a horizontally extending pin 10a, and the movable roof panel 3 is tilted up by rotating upward about the pin 10a. Also, this position plate 1
0 is formed with guide grooves 10b passing through both left and right side surfaces thereof. This guide groove 10b has a first sloped portion 10c that slopes upward at a slight slope angle toward the rear.
, a curved portion 10d that is curved upward from the rear end of the first slope portion 10c, and a second slope portion 10 that slopes upward at a predetermined slope angle toward the rear from the rear end of the curved portion 10d.
e, and a horizontal portion 10f extending horizontally rearward from the rear end of the second inclined portion 10e. The guide pin 6a of the guide member 6 is provided in the guide groove 10b.
is inserted, and as the guide member 6 moves,
The guide pin 6a is movable along the guide groove 10b.

[0012]The characteristic configuration of this example is as follows.
The opening/closing mechanism 4 is located in a cover member 11 as a cover means disposed on the inside of the vehicle. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, this cover member 11 serves as a cover material.
It consists of a cloth material 12 and first and second spring materials 13 and 14. Each spring material 13, 14 is made of a wire rod bent into a substantially V-shape. The first spring member 13 is arranged in the vertical direction, and its lower side 13a is aligned with the guide rail 5.
The upper side 13b is attached near the outer end of the horizontal surface 9a of the lower panel 9. Further, the lower side 13a is engaged with the guide rail 5 so as to be slidable in the front and back direction, and the movable roof panel 3
As the lower side 13a slides, the lower side 13a also slides with respect to the guide rail 5. on the other hand,
The second spring member 14 is arranged horizontally, and its outer side 14a is attached to the horizontal surface 9a of the lower panel 9 adjacent to the upper side 13b of the first spring member 13, and its inner side 14b is attached to the horizontal surface 9a of the lower panel 9. It is located near the inner end of the horizontal surface 9a of the lower panel 9. Further, this inner side 14b is not attached to the lower panel 9, and can be moved in the horizontal direction. In addition, each of the sides 13a, 13b, 14a of the spring members 13, 14, excluding the inner side 14b, has its front and rear ends bent outward, and the bent portion of the lower side 13a of the first spring member 13 As mentioned above, guide rail 5
The other bent portions are joined to the lower panel 9 by brazing. In other words, each side 13a, 1
3b, 14a, 14b, on the outside of the central part in the longitudinal direction,
A gap is formed in which the cover cloth material 12 is placed. The cover cloth material 12 is disposed on the interior side of the opening/closing mechanism 4 from the front end to the rear end of the opening/closing mechanism 4, and its lower end is located below the first spring material 13. Side 1
3a, and extends upward from this attachment part to the first
The outer side of the upper side 13b of the spring member 13 and the second spring member 1
4, and its end portion is attached to the inner side 14b of the second spring member 14. Further, the first spring material 13 is arranged in a state in which it is slightly compressed in the vertical direction, and applies a predetermined tension to the cover cloth material 12, so that the cover cloth 12 It is arranged without bending. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover cloth material 12 is disposed on the inside of the opening/closing mechanism 4 from its front end to its rear end. The cover cloth material 12 hides the opening/closing mechanism 4, so that the opening/closing mechanism 4 is no longer visible to the occupants inside the vehicle.
The appearance around the movable roof panel 3 is improved. Further, 3a in FIG. 1 is a sealing material disposed around the periphery of the movable roof panel 3, and 15 is a sealing material provided on the periphery of the movable roof panel 3.
This is a panel material for covering and concealing the connecting portion between the front panel 3 and the lower panel 9.

[0013] Next, the opening/closing loop constructed in this way
The operation of the f is explained below. The operation of the opening/closing roof includes an opening/closing operation for opening and closing the opening 1a, and a tilt-up operation. First, the opening/closing operation will be explained. FIG. 4 shows the movable roof panel 3 at the front end position of the sliding region, that is, the opening 1a is closed. In this state, the guide pin 6a of the guide member 6 is inserted into the guide groove 10b.
It is located at the front end of the second inclined portion 10e. In order to open the movable roof panel 3 from this state, the drive motor 8
is driven to move the guide member 6 backward along the guide rail 5. Then, the guide pin 6a comes into contact with the rear end of the guide groove 10b via the second inclined part 10e and the horizontal part 10f of the guide groove 10b, and the position play
10 to the rear. This position plate 1
As the vehicle 0 moves rearward, the movable roof panel 3 is also moved rearward, and the movable roof panel 3 opens the opening 1a of the roof panel 1. Further, in this state, the engaging portion 6b of the guide member 6 is engaged with the retaining hook 7. When closing the movable roof panel 3, the drive motor 8 is driven in the opposite direction to move the guide member 6 forward. At this time, since the retaining hook 7 is engaged with the engaging portion 6b of the guide member 6, the guide member 6 moves forward with the guide pin 6a held at the rear end position of the guide groove 10b. However, along with this movement, the movable roof panel 3 slides forward. and,
When this movable roof panel 3 moves to the front end position of the opening 1a of the roof panel 1, the retaining hook 7 and the engaging portion 6b of the guide member 6 are disengaged, and only the guide member 6 is moved to the guide rail. 5, the guide pin 6a reaches the front end position of the second inclined portion 10e, and the closing operation is completed. Further, this opening/closing operation is performed while the first and second spring members 13, 14 maintain their initial states as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the movable roof panel 3 is tilted up, the drive motor 8 is driven to move the guide member 6 forward along the guide rail 5. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide pin 6a of the guide member 6 comes into contact with the front end of the guide groove 10b via the curved part 10d and the first inclined part 10c of the guide groove 10b. As described above, since the first inclined portion 10c is inclined at a predetermined angle, as the guide member 6 moves forward, the position plate 10 moves toward the pin 1 at the front end.
Rotate upwards around 0a. This allows the movable rule to
The roof panel 3 is tilted upward as it goes rearward, and its rear edge is at a position with a predetermined distance from the roof panel 1, so that it is in a tilted-up state. In this tilted-up state, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the height position of the lower panel 9 also becomes high, so that the distance between the lower end side 13a and the upper end side 13b of the first spring member 13 is forced to increase. The inner side 14b of the second spring member 14 moves toward the outer side 14a, thereby sending the cover cloth material 12 toward the first spring member 13. By the operation of each spring member 13, 14, the cover cloth material 1
2, the area extending in the vertical direction is expanded, and therefore,
The area in which the opening/closing mechanism 4 is hidden becomes larger, and the appearance from inside the vehicle in this tilted-up state is improved. When canceling this tilt-up state, move the guide member 6 rearward and position the guide pin 6a at the front end of the second inclined portion 10e, and the movable roof panel 3 returns to the horizontal state (Fig. 4 ), and the opening 1a is closed. In this state, the first spring member 13 and the second spring member 14 return to their initial states as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7.

As described above, according to the configuration of this example, not only the appearance of the area around the movable roof panel 3 is improved when the movable roof panel 3 is closed and opened, but also the appearance of the movable roof panel 3 is improved. Even when the roof panel 3 is tilted up, the opening/closing mechanism 4 is hidden from view from inside the vehicle by the cover fabric 12, and no matter what state the movable roof panel 3 is in, the opening/closing mechanism 4 is not visible from inside the vehicle. It has become. In addition, since the opening/closing mechanism 4 is covered with the cover cloth material 12, the traveling wind does not pass through the opening/closing mechanism 4 when the movable roof panel 3 is opened or tilted up. Wind noise is prevented from occurring inside the vehicle and does not cause discomfort to the occupants.

In this example, the spring members 13 and 14 apply a predetermined tension to the cover cloth material 12, and the height dimension at the time of tilting up is increased. Not limited to this, cover cloth material 1
2 is made of an elastic material, and a cover is used during tilt-up operation.
A structure may be adopted in which the height dimension of the cloth material is increased by stretching in the vertical direction.

[0016]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects are achieved. In the invention as claimed in claim 1, since the interior side of the opening/closing mechanism is hidden by the cover means, the opening/closing mechanism is not visible from inside the vehicle, and the appearance of the opening/closing roof is improved. I can figure it out. Also,
When the movable roof panel is open and the vehicle is running, the airflow is prevented from passing through the opening/closing mechanism.
The generation of wind noise is prevented and the occupants are no longer uncomfortable.

[0017] In the invention as claimed in claim 2, when the movable roof panel is tilted up, the cover material increases in height accordingly and hides the opening/closing mechanism. - The opening/closing mechanism can be reliably covered not only when the front panel is closed or open, but also when it is tilted up.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 3;

FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a tilted-up state of the movable roof panel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the movable roof panel.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the opening/closing mechanism when the movable roof panel is in a closed state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the opening/closing mechanism in a tilted-up state of the movable roof panel.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cover member.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the states of each spring member when the movable roof panel is closed and opened.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state of each spring member when the movable roof panel is in a tilted-up state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Roof panel 1a Opening 3 Movable roof panel 4 Opening/closing mechanism 11 Cover member (cover means) 12 Cover cloth material (cover material)

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: An opening/closing roof comprising a movable roof panel that can freely open and close an opening formed in the roof panel, and an opening/closing mechanism that at least opens and closes the movable roof panel.
An opening/closing roof structure for a vehicle, wherein a cover means for concealing the opening/closing mechanism is provided at a position inside the vehicle interior of the opening/closing mechanism. [Claim 2] The opening/closing mechanism is configured to be capable of a tilt-up operation to move the movable roof panel upward, and the height dimension of the cover means can be freely changed in accordance with this tilt-up operation. 2. The opening/closing roof structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a cover material that is flexible.