DRIVE SYSTEM FOR A SPOILER ROOF ASSEMBLY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND SPOILER ROOF ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A drive system for a spoiler roof assembly of a motor vehicle, having a support bar connected to a movable roof part, a control mechanism engaging the support bar to shift the support bar between closed, ventilation and open positions, and a guide rail assembly in which the control mechanism is guided for longitudinal displacement. The control mechanism has a rear deployment lever coupled to the support bar by an upper point of articulation and mounted for pivoting between rest and deployed positions on a displaceable deployment carriage. A forced mechanical control shifts the deployment lever between the rest and deployed positions depending on displacement of the deployment carriage. The forced machanical control is formed by a control lever pivotably mounted at one end on the deployment lever and at the other end on a stationary bearing section of the guide rail assembly.

Claims

1. A drive system for a spoiler roof assembly of a motor vehicle, with a support bar which can be connected to a movable roof part with a control mechanism which engages on the support bar in order to shift the support bar between a closed position, a ventilation position, and an open position, and with a guide rail assembly which is in a ready for use state fixed to the vehicle and in which the control mechanism is guided so that it can be displaced longitudinally, wherein the control mechanism has a rear deployment lever which is coupled to the support bar by an upper point of articulation and is mounted, so that it can pivot between a rest position and a deployed position, on a deployment carriage which can be displaced along the guide rail assembly, wherein a mechanical forced control is assigned to the deployment lever and shifts the deployment lever between the rest position and the deployed position depending on a displacement of the deployment carriage, wherein the mechanical forced control is formed by a control lever which is mounted so that it can pivot at one end on the deployment lever and at the other end on a bearing section which is stationary with respect to the guide rail assembly.

2. The drive system as claimed in claim 1, a stationary hinge point assigned to the stationary bearing section , of the control lever is positioned above lower point of articulation of the deployment lever. 3. (Currently Amended) The drive system-fh-*- as claimed in claim 2, where 1 a hinge point assigned to the deployment lever, of the control lever is positioned between the lower point of articulation and the upper point of articulation of the deployment lever H-3K

4. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 where i Ivha-h-, in its rest position the deployment lever is positioned so that it is inclined with respect to the guide rail assembly in such a way that the upper point of articulation is positioned higher, relative to a base of the guide rail assembly than a&hfc lower point of articulation of the deployment, lever.

5. The drive system-as claimed in that, in the rest position of the deployment lever-the control lever--H-S-h is oriented at least largely vertically downward such that at-he stationary hinge point f4-Sf of the control lever and athe hinge point assigned to the deployment lever are positioned at least largely above each other vertically.

6. The drive system as claimed in claim lortor-of--the-preeed, whereithat- the guide rail assembly has a separately anufactured rail component on which the deployment carriage-(4r3r is mounted displaceably and which carries the bearing section for the control lever

7. The drive system-45 as claimed in claim 6, the rail componenthas a side wall in which a coupling profile-(44r is mounted displaceably which can be coupled at a front end region to a driven control carriage--fSr of the control mechanism-and which is connected positively at a rear end region (Ft to the depyment carr iage

8. The drive system as claimed in claim 6-e* 7, the rail component is configured as a plastic component on which he side wall of the rail component-and the bearing section-are integrally formed.

9. A spoiler roof assembly for a motor vehicle with at least one drive system as claimed in claim

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a roof region of a car with an embodiment of a spoiler roof assembly according to the invention which is provided with two drive systems according to the invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a drive system according to the invention for the spoiler roof assembly according to FIG. 1 in a closed position of a movable roof part of the spoiler roof assembly;

[0018] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of a rear deployment mechanism of the drive system according to FIG. 2;

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a further perspective view of the rear deployment mechanism according to FIG. 3, but in a different plane of section such that a side wall of a rear rail component of a guide rail assembly of the drive system can also be seen;

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a further perspective view of the drive system according to FIG. 2 in an open position of a support bar;

[0021] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the rear deployment mechanism of the drive system according to FIG. 2 in the open position of the support bar; and

[0022] FIG. 7 shows a further perspective view of the rear deployment mechanism obliquely from above and from the rear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] A car 1 has, according to FIG. 1, a spoiler roof assembly 2 in a roof region of the car 1. The spoiler roof assembly 2 is provided with a movable roof part 4 which is provided for sealing shut or unblocking a roof opening 3 into the interior of the vehicle. In an open position which is illustrated in FIG. 1, the movable roof part 4 is shifted backward above a fixed roof section (not described in detail). Both the movable roof part 4 and the fixed roof section are configured to be at least largely transparent. The movable roof part 4 is designed as a glass roof part. The fixed roof section is also configured as a glass roof part. The movable roof part 4 is provided on opposite longitudinal sides, i.e. on sides which extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, in the region of its underside with retaining means which form a connection of the roof part 4 to two drive systems 5 which are provided for shifting the roof part 4 between the closed position which seals shut the roof cut-out 3, a ventilation position, and an open position according to FIG. 1. The two drive systems 5 are provided on opposite longitudinal sides of the roof cut-out 3 on a support frame which is rigidly connected to the roof region of the car 1. The two drive systems 5 are driven synchronously with respect to each other via a central drive unit in a manner not described in detail in order to enable the desired shifting of the roof part 4 between the closed position, the ventilation position, and the open position. One of the two drive systems 5 is described below with the aid of FIGS. 2 to 7. The opposite drive system 5 is configured identically apart from a mirror-symmetrical arrangement relative to a vertical central longitudinal plane of the car.

[0024] The drive system 5 has a control mechanism 6 which is mounted in a guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2. The control mechanism 6 serves to shift a support bar 7 between the closed position, the ventilation position, and the open position of the roof part 4. The support bar 7 is rigidly connected in the region of the underside of the roof part 4 to retaining means, assigned to the corresponding longitudinal side, of the roof part 4 such that shifting the support bar 7 necessarily also causes the roof part 4 to be shifted correspondingly. The support bar 7 is connected to the control mechanism 6 in a hinged fashion. The support bar 7 is here coupled with a front end region to a front deployment mechanism 11 and via a slide web 17 to a rear deployment mechanism 9. The control mechanism 6 has a driven control carriage S which is connected in a manner not described in detail to a high-tensile and compression-resistant drive cable which is driven by the drive unit so that it moves linearly via a suitable gear. The control carriage S, driven by the drive cable, is guided in the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2 so that it can be displaced longitudinally forward and backward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0025] The rear deployment mechanism 9 has a deployment carriage 13 which is guided so that it can be displaced longitudinally in a rear rail section F.sub.2 of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2 in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2. For this purpose, the deployment carriage 13 is provided with sliding elements which are not described in detail. A bearing block 14 for pivotably mounting a lower point of articulation of a deployment lever 12 is provided on the deployment carriage 13 and defines a lower pivot axis for the deployment lever 12 which extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle. Opposite the lower point of articulation in the region of the bearing block 14, the deployment lever 12 has an upper point of articulation 15 which couples the deployment lever 12 in the region of its upper end pivotably to a control slider 16. The pivot axis defined by the upper point of articulation 15 is parallel to the pivot axis of the lower point of articulation of the deployment lever 12. The control slider 16 engages around the slide web 17 in a rear region of the support bar 7 such that the support bar 7 is guided so that it can slide in the region of the control slider 16 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0026] The rear rail section F.sub.2 configured as a separate rail component has at least one fastening tab 23 by means of which the rear rail section F.sub.2 is rigidly connected, during the mounting of the spoiler roof assembly 2, to a complementary fastening tab 24 of the front rail section F.sub.1 of the guide rail assembly F.sub.1, F.sub.2. Mechanical fastening elements (not illustrated) are provided for this purpose. A guide tab of the rear rail section F.sub.2 for the deployment carriage 13 is, in the view in FIG. 4, positioned slightly above a plane which forms a guide surface for the control carriage S of the front rail section F.sub.1.

[0027] The deployment carriage 13 is coupled to the driven control carriage S via a coupling profile 10 for displacement along the rear rail section F.sub.2 of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2. The coupling profile 10 forms an elongated high-tensile and compression-resistant rod which is guided so that it can be displaced longitudinally in a corresponding guide channel of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2. The coupling profile 10 is provided at its rear end region 8 with a catch 25 (FIG. 7) which engages positively in a receptacle, formed by two stops 26, of the deployment carriage 13. In a ready-to-use operating state, the rear end 8 of the coupling profile 10 is permanently connected to the deployment carriage 13.

[0028] The coupling profile 10 is detachably connected at its front end region to the control carriage S. Depending on the position of the control carriage S, the front end region of the coupling profile 10 is alternatively separated from the control carriage S and connected to a retaining means which is fixed to the guide rail, or is detached again from this retaining means and reconnected to the control carriage S. As a result, the control carriage S can, depending on the corresponding position of the coupling profile 10, carry along the rear deployment carriage 13 for a limited amount of displacement travel. The limited amount of displacement travel serves to displace the deployment carriage 13 between two positions in which the deployment lever 12 is situated in its rest position (see FIGS. 2 to 4 and 7) or is situated in its deployed position which can be seen with the aid of FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0029] In order to effect a forced upward or downward pivoting movement of the deployment lever 12 in the case of a corresponding shifting movement of the deployment carriage 13, forced control in the form of a control lever 18 is assigned to the deployment lever 12, said control lever 18 being connected pivotably to the deployment lever 12 in the region of a hinge point 22 on the latter and connected pivotably in the region of a stationary hinge point 19 to a bearing section 20 which is arranged fixedly on the rear rail section F.sub.2 of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2. The bearing section 20 sits on top of a side wall 21 of the rail section F.sub.2. This bearing section 20 is positioned above the upper point of articulation 15 of the deployment lever 12 in the rest position of the deployment lever 12, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this rest position of the deployment lever 12, the stationary hinge point 19 of the control lever 18 and the lever-side hinge point 22 of the control lever 18 are positioned vertically above each other, as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 3 and 7.

[0030] The rail section F.sub.2 is configured as a plastic component which is manufactured separately from the front rail section F.sub.1 of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2, wherein the side wall 21 is an integral part of the rail section F.sub.2. The side wall has a guide channel (not described in detail) for the sliding elements of the deployment carriage 13, wherein, as can be seen in FIG. 4, this guide channel is provided with a stop rim (not described in detail) which faces the front rail section F.sub.1 and limits the ability of the sliding elements of the deployment carriage 13 to slide forward. In addition, the side wall has a further guide channel for a sliding sleeve of the coupling profile 10.

[0031] If the control carriage S is then displaced backward out of the closed position of the roof part 4 and hence out of the closed position of the support bar 7 along the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2, by virtue of the coupling of the coupling profile 10 to the deployment carriage 13, the rear deployment carriage 13 is also displaced backward on the rail section F.sub.2 in the region of its guide surface. Because of the stationary mounting of the control lever 18 in the manner of a four-bar linkage, the control lever 18 is pivoted backward and upward by the movement of the deployment carriage 13 and the movement of the deployment lever 12, wherein, by virtue of the coupling of the control lever 18 to the deployment lever 12, the deployment lever 12 is forced to be raised in the direction of its deployed position according to FIG. 6. The rear region of the support bar 7 is consequently raised, as a result of which the roof part 4 is transferred into its ventilation position. In this ventilation position, the front end region of the coupling profile 10 is uncoupled from the control carriage S and connected to the stationary retaining means of the guide rail assembly F.sub.l, F.sub.2 such that the coupling profile 10 which is now fixed on the rail side also immobilizes the deployment carriage 13 in the position in which the deployment lever 12 has reached its deployed position. By further displacement of the control carriage S, the support bar 7 can now be displaced backward along the control slider 16, wherein the front end section of the support bar 7 is also shifted upward simultaneously via the front deployment mechanism 11 which is carried along by the control carriage S. The shifting of the front end section of the support bar 7 vertically is, however, less than the shifting of the support bar 7 vertically in the region of the rear slide web 17 such that the support bar 7 and hence also the roof part 4 maintain an oblique position which rises backward and upward in the open position of the roof part 4 too. To return the roof part 4 from the open position in the direction of the closed position, the control carriage S is driven in the opposite direction such that the control carriage S is displaced forward. As soon as the control carriage S has reached the front end section of the coupling profile 10 again, the coupling profile 10 is carried along again, as a result of which the deployment carriage 13 is displaced forward again into its original starting position. Consequently, the lower point of articulation of the deployment lever 12 is also forced to move forward again, as a result of which the deployment lever 12 is lowered again in the direction of its rest position by virtue of the forced guidance by means of the control lever 18.