Sunroof drive apparatus and related sunroof assemblies for use with vehicles are disclosed. A disclosed assembly includes a sunroof panel, a rail, a guide block attached to part of the rail, a bracket beneath the sunroof panel, a link in the rail removably connected to the guide block, and a drive shoe in the rail slidably coupled to the link. The drive shoe includes first and second slots to receive respective first and second pins of the link. The link can rotate about a rotation axis from a first orientation in which the link is inseparable from the guide block to a target orientation in which the link is separable from the guide block. When the first pin enters a locking area at an end of the first slot, the drive shoe imparts one or more loads on the first pin that urge the link into the target orientation.

A bed cover for a vehicle that may be deployed electromechanically, either on demand or automatically, when a vehicle operator so desires, when predetermined weather conditions are detected, when the vehicle reaches a predetermined speed or experiences predetermined operating conditions, and/or when predetermined aerodynamic drag conditions are detected. The bed cover is deployable from a stowed configuration to one or more use configurations. These use configurations may include a traditional horizontal bed cover and/or an angled “cap-style” bed cover, with the angled bed cover providing enhanced aerodynamic drag reduction characteristics. A vehicle control module and camera, sensor, and/or stop trigger are used to ensure that is safe to deploy and use the bed cover, without negatively impacting an item, animal, or person present in the bed or rear cargo space of the vehicle.

Provided is an automatic light blocking device for a vehicle, wherein a light blocking slider protrudes in a sliding manner from the ceiling or roof of the vehicle in order to block sunlight shining into the interior of the vehicle. To this end, an automatic light blocking device for a vehicle comprises: a light blocking body provided on the ceiling or roof of the vehicle and having at least one sliding groove which is open in the direction in which light is to be blocked; a light blocking slider which is slidably inserted into and coupled to the sliding groove; and a driving unit for sliding the light blocking slider along the light blocking body by using power applied from the vehicle.

A roof assembly for a vehicle having an opening comprises a frame having two parallel longitudinal beams connected to a transverse beam. A drive system for a panel supports and moves the panel and includes a motor attached to the transverse beam, two substantially parallel guide rails attached to the longitudinal beams, and a support mechanism movably guided in the guide rails and operatively connected to the motor. The frame and the drive system as a unit are adapted to each other such that the drive system is partly inserted into the frame between the longitudinal beams and rotated such that the motor is on the lower side of the transverse beam of the frame and the guide rails at least partly positioned on a portion of the upper side of the longitudinal beams of the frame. There is also disclosed a method of assembling the roof assembly.

A drive apparatus for a movable roof part of a roof system, and a threaded helix cable therefor. The drive apparatus has a threaded helix cable, which has a driver on the end, by which the threaded helix cable can be connected to a drive slide of a displacement mechanism in a force-transmitting manner. The driver has a bent sheet-metal part which interlockingly surrounds the threaded helix cable.

A motor unit for a sunroof is proposed. The motor unit may include a lower housing, an upper housing, a bush, a worm wheel, a drive shaft, a pinion gear, the washer, and a bottom cover. Particularly, contact between the drive shaft and the bottom cover may be prevented, and the worm wheel may be configured to be in contact with the washer and he bush. Accordingly, different kinds of noise may be prevented from being generated according to opening and closing directions of the sunroof.

A movably arranged vehicle component is operatively coupled to and may be driven by an electric motor. The electric motor is supplied with a motor current to drive the movement of the vehicle component. A method for detecting a movement obstruction comprises the steps of supplying the electric motor with a supply voltage, thereby supplying the motor current; determining a frequency content of the motor current; and analysing the frequency content to determine whether the movement obstruction is present or not. A motor control system is configured to perform the above-mentioned method.

A drive circuit for driving an electro-optical device like an optically switchable glazing, e.g. a glass panel provided with a PDLC or SPD layer, comprises a set of input terminals for receiving an alternating input voltage at a first frequency; a set of output terminals for supplying an alternating output voltage at a second frequency; a control circuit generating a control signal dependent on an input signal, the input signal representing a charge state of the electro-optical device; and a current-direction circuit for controlling a current-flow direction of an electrical current in response to the control signal. The control circuit and the current-direction circuit are thereby configured to control the second frequency such that the electro-optical device is prevented from degradation, while keeping an energy consumption low.

An open roof construction for use in a vehicle includes, at least one movable element, movable along a stationary guide extending underneath opposite lateral edges of a roof opening. A drive motor drives the movable element, where a drive cable at least partly guided in the stationary guide connects between the drive motor and the movable element. The drive cable is guided in a channel in the stationary guide. The drive cable includes, connected at one end, a drive cable plate. The cable plate connects with the movable element, the cable plate being slidably engaged with at least one wall of the stationary guide, wherein the cable plate further includes at least one separate slide shoe slidably engaging the at least one wall of the stationary guide. The slide shoe is capable of biasing the drive cable plate with respect to the at least one wall of the stationary guide.

A roof module for a vehicle roof of a passenger vehicle includes a module frame which includes a front module frame transverse element, a rear module frame transverse element, a first lateral module frame longitudinal element, and a second lateral module frame longitudinal element, where the first and the second lateral module frame longitudinal elements connect the front and the rear module frame transverse elements to each other. A cover element is mounted on the module frame. The front module frame transverse element is a first shell element and the first shell element is connectable to a second shell element of a roof frame of the vehicle roof. When the first shell element is connected to the second shell element they together form a roof crossmember of the vehicle roof which encloses a cavity.