A second step of opening a closed openable/closable roof starts before a first step of opening a closed storage compartment cover finishes, so that a distance between portions of the storage compartment cover and the openable/closable roof facing each other is shorter at a point in time when the storage compartment cover is fully opened in the first step than at any other point in time. A fifth step of closing the open openable/closable roof starts before a fourth step of opening the closed storage compartment cover finishes, so that a distance between portions of the storage compartment cover and the openable/closable roof facing each other is shorter at a point in time when the storage compartment cover is fully opened in the fourth step than at any other point in time.

A panel structure 30 includes a panel 40 having a first insertion hole 42, a reinforcement 50 having a second insertion hole 52, and a fixing member 70 having a shaft 71 inserted in the first and second insertion holes 42 and 52, and sandwiching and fixing the panel 40 and the reinforcement 50 in their thickness direction. The panel 40 has a higher thermal expansion coefficient than the reinforcement 50. A diameter of the second insertion hole 52 in a direction of thermal expansion of the panel 40 is larger than a diameter of the first insertion hole 42 in the direction.

A linkage for opening and closing a lid through actuation of an electric motor 12 includes a base bracket 21 extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, and a driving lever 14 having one end pivotally connected to the bracket 21 and the other end connected to the lid. The driving lever is driven via a pinion 22 by a sector gear 31 driven by the electric motor. The sector gear is attached to the bracket 21. The electric motor is fixed to a motor bracket 11 and attached via the motor bracket 11 to the bracket. Loosening a member supporting a lateral end portion of the motor bracket 11 and a bolt 41 fixing the bracket 11 to the bracket 21 allows the pinion and the sector gear to be axially disengaged from each other.

A folding top for a cabriolet vehicle, and which includes a top linkage and a top cover. The top linkage may be adjusted for movement between a closed position and an open position via a roof kinematic system. The roof kinematic system is configured as a four-bar linkage kinematic system having a first link, a second link, and a drive member to drive the first link.

A convertible top having a top cover and a cover linkage adjustable between a closed position and a storage position and which has a linkage arrangement on each of its two sides linkage arrangement pivotably mounted on a respective main bearing, which is fixed to the vehicle, via a main multi-joint arrangement comprising two main links, a rear bow realized as a panel bow mounted on each of the bilaterally arranged linkage arrangements via a rear link arrangement. The two bilaterally arranged rear link arrangements can each be actuated by a drive lever, which drives the respective rear link arrangement starting from the closed position in a first opening phase while the main multi-joint arrangement is static and drives the respective rear link arrangement in the opposite direction of the respective main multi-joint arrangement in a second opening phase.

A top of a convertible vehicle is proposed, comprising a top cover and a top linkage which can be displaced between a closed position, in which a vehicle interior is covered, and a storage position, in which the vehicle interior is open toward the top, and which has a linkage arrangement on both sides with respect to a vertical longitudinal center plane of the top, each linkage arrangement comprising two main links, which are pivotably mounted on a main bearing fixed to the vehicle and one of which is driven by means of a main drive. Panel bows extend between the bilaterally arranged linkage arrangements, a first one of said panel bows being a front bow, a second one being a front center bow, a third one being a rear center bow and a fourth one being a rear window bow. In the storage position, the rear center bow is arranged below the rear window bow.

A convertible top, having a top linkage, and a roof tip which is fixed to a front cowl of the vehicle in the closed position, and a centering arrangement which defines the position of the roof tip in relation to the cowl in the transverse direction of the vehicle and in the vertical direction of the vehicle in the closed position and which comprises a centering pin which engages into a centering recess of a centering seat. An insert is disposed in the centering recess having a contact side with which a front end of the centering pin is in contact when in the centering position and formed by an elastic element. Alternatively, an elastic element is disposed on the front end of the centering pin, and in contact with a ground of the centering recess when the centering pin is in the centering position.

A convertible top, having a linkage for displacing the top, a roof tip fixed to a front vehicle cowl in a closed position, a top lock which displacable between a locked and released position and secures the roof tip to the front cowl when the top is in the closed position and has a locking support having a pivotable locking hook and a locking counterpart which can be engaged with the locking hook, and a position detector which detects a relative position between the roof tip and the front cowl. The position detector has a sensor unit having at least two Hall-effect sensor elements, one of which switches at a first distance between the sensor unit and a magnetic element and the other one of which switches at a second distance between the sensor unit and the magnetic element, the second distance being different from the first distance.

A rotary valve that controls a flow rate at which working oil is supplied to and discharged from a hydraulic cylinder that causes a wing to rotate about a rotary shaft includes a rotor that rotates as the wing rotates about the rotary shaft, and a first control flow passage and a second control flow passage formed in the rotor to control the flow rate at which the working fluid is supplied to and discharged from the hydraulic cylinder, wherein the first control flow passage and the second control flow passage respectively vary a resistance exerted on a flow of the working fluid passing therethrough as the rotor rotates.

There provided an openable roof, a link mechanism foldably supporting the openable roof, and a drive device to drive a drive link of a link mechanism. The drive device comprises a drive unit including a drive gear connected to a drive motor, a driven gear provided at the drive link, and an intermediate gear engaging with the drive gear and the driven gear. The drive unit is located at a lower level than a beltline of the vehicle body, the driven-gear pivotal portion is located at a higher level than the beltline, and the intermediate gear is located at a specified level such that the intermediate gear overlaps the beltline in a side view.