FIXED ROOF ELEMENT FOR A VEHICLE ROOF, COMPRISING A GUIDE RAIL OR OTHER ELEMENT OF A SHADING SYSTEM

Abstract

A fixed roof element for a vehicle roof, said fixed roof element having a panel to the underside of which at least one guide rail of a shading system is joined via a plastic moulded portion. The plastic moulded portion receives a clamping unit, which keeps the guide rail at the panel and which is formed by at least one insert part of the plastic moulded portion.

Claims

1. A fixed roof element for a vehicle roof, said fixed roof element comprising: a panel to the underside of which at least one guide rail of a shading system is joined via a plastic moulded portion, wherein the plastic moulded portion receives a clamping unit, which keeps the guide rail at the panel and which is formed by at least one insert part of the plastic moulded portion.

2. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein the clamping unit comprises at least one clamping element, which includes a plate portion and at least one angled portion, which is resilient and acts on a flank of the guide rail.

3. The fixed roof element according to claim 2, wherein the clamping element comprises two angled portions on opposite sides.

4. The fixed roof element according to claim 3, wherein the two angled portions are offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail.

5. The fixed roof element according to claim 2, wherein the at least one angled portion of the clamping element has a length of 10 mm to 30 mm in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail.

6. The fixed roof element according to claim 2, wherein the clamping unit comprises multiple clamping elements, which are disposed in such a way that they are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail and which have a distance of approximately 150 mm to 300 mm between each other.

7. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein the guide rail is an extruded plastic part, the course and orientation of said extruded plastic part in relation to the panel being determined by the clamping unit and said extruded plastic part being a two-component extruded plastic part.

8. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein the guide rail has an at least nearly trapezoidal cross-section at least in an area of the clamping elements.

9. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein the plastic moulded portion at least widely extends over the length of the guide rail and in that the guide rail rests against segments of the plastic moulded portion or continuously rests against the plastic moulded portion in the longitudinal direction.

10. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein a fixing unit which keeps the guide rail in position with respect to the panel in the longitudinal direction.

11. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein the clamping unit comprises a plastic element, on which clamping ribs are formed, on which the guide rail is locked.

12. The fixed roof element according to claim 11, wherein anchor ribs are formed on an upper side of the plastic element, said anchor ribs being embedded into the plastic moulded portion.

13. The fixed roof element according to claim 11, wherein the plastic element comprises a base plate, which has an at least substantially parallel orientation with respect to the panel.

14. The fixed roof element according to claim 11, wherein a supporting rib is formed on an underside of the base plate, an upper-side counter-rib of the guide rail resting against said supporting rib.

15. The fixed roof element according to claim 1, wherein the guide rail comprises an elastic locking rib, which interacts with the clamping unit.

16. A fixed roof element for a vehicle roof, said fixed roof element comprising: a panel to the underside of which at least one element of a shading system is joined via a plastic moulded portion, wherein the plastic moulded portion receives a support component at which the element of the shading system is locked and which is an insert part of the plastic moulded portion.

17. The fixed roof element according to claim 16, wherein the support component has a supporting surface against which the element of the shading system rests.

18. The fixed roof element according to claim 16, wherein the support component has a locking geometry, into which the element of the shading system reaches from below with a locking counter-geometry.

19. The fixed roof element according to claim 16, wherein the support component has an anchor geometry around which the plastic moulded portion reaches.

20. The fixed roof element according to claim 16, wherein the element of the shading system is a bearing unit for bearing a winding shaft, an element for centering the fabric of a roller blind web or an electronic component for controlling a drive of the shading system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Exemplary embodiments of fixed roof elements according to the invention are illustrated in the drawing in a schematically simplified way and will be described in the more detail in the following description.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from above onto a vehicle roof having a fixed roof element;

[0042] FIG. 2 shows half of a bottom view of the fixed roof element having a guide rail and a bearing element of a shading system;

[0043] FIG. 3 shows half of a bottom view of the fixed roof element which corresponds to FIG. 2, but without a guide rail and a bearing element;

[0044] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through the fixed roof element along line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

[0045] FIG. 5 shows a holding clamp for the guide rail on its own;

[0046] FIG. 6 shows a guide rail with an alternative embodiment of a holding clamp;

[0047] FIG. 7 shows the arrangement of a guide rail with respect to a glass element in a horizontal arrangement (a) and in a glass-parallel arrangement (b);

[0048] FIG. 8 shows the principle of joining a roller blind component to a glass element of a fixed roof element;

[0049] FIG. 9 shows a control of the shading system being joined in the area IX in FIG. 2;

[0050] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the bearing system at the fixed roof element in the area X in FIG. 2;

[0051] FIG. 11 shows a longitudinal cross-section through the arrangement according to FIG. 10 along line XI-XI in FIG. 10;

[0052] FIG. 12 shows a plastic moulded portion together with a support component for the bearing element;

[0053] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the plastic moulded portion having the support component and the installed bearing element of the shading system;

[0054] FIG. 14 shows a perspective bottom view of areas of an alternative embodiment of a fixed roof element according to the invention;

[0055] FIG. 15 shows a front view of the fixed roof element according to FIG. 14 in the area of the guide rail;

[0056] FIG. 16 shows a cross-section through the fixed roof element according to FIG. 14 along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 14; and

[0057] FIG. 17 shows a plastic element of a clamping unit of the fixed roof element according to FIG. 14 in a perspective illustration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In the drawing, a vehicle roof 10 is illustrated, which is realised as a fixed roof provided with a roof cutout 12, in which a fixed roof element 14 is disposed. The fixed roof element 14 is fastened in the roof cutout 12 in an immobile way with respect to a vehicle bodywork and comprises a body shell element 16, which is produced from laminated safety glass and forms an outer visible surface of the vehicle roof 10.

[0059] The fixed roof element 14 includes a substantially rectangular see-through area 18, which can be shaded by means of a shading system 20 which comprises a roof roller blind 22 as a shading element. The roof roller blind 22 is guided in a guide rail 24 on either side of a vertical longitudinal centre plane of the roof, said guide rail extending in the longitudinal direction of the roof, and can be displaced, by means of a tension bow 26, which is guided in the guide rails 24 with its ends via one slider each, between a cleared position, in which the see-through area 18 is completely cleared, and a shading position, in which the see-through area 18 is covered at least in part by the roof roller blind 22.

[0060] The shading system 20 includes a drive arrangement 28, which comprises two drive cables 30A and 30B driven by a common drive motor 32, which is joined to the underside of the body shell element 16 in the front of the see-through area 18. Each of the drive cables 30A and 30B is connected to one of the sliders of the tension bow 26, which are disposed on both sides and which are guided in the guide rails 24.

[0061] The drive motor 32 is connected to a control unit 34, which is also fastened to the underside of the body shell element 16.

[0062] The roller blind web of the roof roller blind 22 is fastened to a winding shaft 36 with its edge facing away from the tension bow 26, being wound up onto said winding shaft when clearing the see-through area 18 and being wound down from said winding shaft for shading the see-through area 18. The winding shaft 36, which is provided with a winding spring acting in the winding-up direction, is borne at a bearing unit 38 with each of its two ends, said bearing unit being fastened to the underside of the body shell element 16 at the end of the respective guide rail 24 facing away from the drive motor 32. The bearing unit 38 serves to bear the winding shaft 36 on the one hand and to centre the fabric of the roller blind web of the roof roller blind 22 on the other hand so that said roller blind web enters the relevant guide rail 24 neatly.

[0063] A plastic moulded portion 40 is formed on the underside of the body shell element 16, said plastic moulded portion 40 being produced from a polyurethane foam material. The plastic moulded portion 40 is formed to the body shell element 16 in a foam moulding tool in a foam moulding process or RIM process (Reaction Injection Moulding Process).

[0064] As FIGS. 2 to 4 show, the plastic moulded portion 40 receives five clamping elements 42 along each of the guide rails 24, the respective guide rail 24 being fastened to the underside of the body shell element 16 by means of said clamping elements 42. The clamping elements 42 together form a clamping unit, which keeps the respective guide rail 24 in a horizontal arrangement at the body shell element 16 which constitutes a panel. The clamping elements 42 reach represent an insert part of the plastic moulded portion 40.

[0065] As FIGS. 4 and 5 show, the clamping elements 42 each comprise a substantially flat plate portion 44, which is provided with two anchor holes 46 through which the polyurethane material of the plastic moulded portion 40 reaches. The plate portion 44 merges into a resilient angled portion 48 at each of two edges extending in the longitudinal direction of the roof, said angled portions 48 engaging with a respective flank 50 of the guide rail 24 in the installed position. The angled portions 48 of a clamping element 42, which each form a tab, are offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 24 and each have a length of approximately 20 mm. The clamping elements 42 are in each case disposed at a distance of approximately 300 mm along the guide rail 24.

[0066] The guide rails 24 are each formed as a plastic extruded part whose course and orientation in relation to the body shell element 16 is predetermined by the clamping elements 42.

[0067] As in particular FIG. 4 shows, the guide rails 24 which include guide channels for the sliders of the tension bow 26, for the roof roller blind 22 and the respective drive cable 30A or 30B have a trapezoidal cross-section in the broadest sense, a base surface being parallel to the plate portion 44.

[0068] The plastic moulded portion 40 extends over the entire length of the respective guide rail 24 so that the guide rails 24 continuously rest against the plastic moulded portion 40 in the longitudinal direction. In order to prevent the guide rails 24 from getting out of place in the longitudinal direction inadvertently, the guide rails 24 are each fixed in a front end area by means of a screw 52. The screw 52 also constitutes a fixing unit.

[0069] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the guide rails 24 are each disposed so as to be approximately horizontal. This is also shown in FIG. 7a. However, in an alternative embodiment, the clamping elements 42 can also be integrated into the plastic moulded portion 40 in such a manner that the plate portions 44 are each oriented so as to be glass-parallel so that the guide rails 24, which are fixed via the clamping elements 42, also have a glass-parallel orientation, as FIG. 7b illustrates. Attaching the guide rails 24 in an arbitrary other angle position with respect to the body shell element 16 is also conceivable.

[0070] FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative clamping element 42 which can be used instead of the clamping element described above for fixing the guide rails 24 to the body shell element 16. The clamping element 42 also has a plate portion 44 which is provided with anchor tabs 54, the plastic moulded portion 40 reaching through and being moulded around said anchor tabs 54 in the installed state. At opposite edges, the clamping element 42 in each case includes a tab-like angled portion 48A or 48B, angled portion 48A being rigid and angled portion 48B being resilient and being provided with holding thorns 56, which grip into the plastic material of the respective, guide rail 24 in the installed position. Upon installation, the guide rail 24 is guided below the angled portion 48B with a flank 50 and then brought into its installed position against the plate portion 44 by way of elastic deformation of the angled portion 48B.

[0071] As FIG. 9 in particular shows, the control unit 34 is locked at a support component 58 which constitutes an insert part of the plastic moulded portion 40 in the area of the front edge of the see-through area 18. The schematic diagram in FIG. 8 shows that the support component 58 includes anchor ribs 60, which form undercuts and around which the polyurethane material of the plastic moulded portion 40 reaches. The support component 58 has a supporting surface 62 against which the control unit 34 rests. Furthermore, the support component 58 has a locking geometry 64, which is T-shaped in cross-section and into which a locking counter-geometry 66 of the control unit 34 engages.

[0072] As FIGS. 10 to 13 show, the bearing units 38 for the winding shaft 36 are also locked at the support component 68 which constitutes an insert part of the plastic moulded portion 40 which surrounds the see-through area 18 like a frame. The support component 68 has a locking geometry 70, into which a locking counter-geometry 72 of the respective bearing unit 38 engages so that the bearing unit 38 is joined to the underside of the body shell element 16 in a captive way. With an extension 74, the bearing units 38 are supported at the guide rail 24 respectively assigned. A pin 76 is also disposed at the extension 74 for fastening a cross member which forms a running edge for the roof roller blind 22. A pin 78 serves to bear the winding shaft 36 against the bearing unit 38.

[0073] As the above description shows, it is possible due to the reception of the support components 58 and 68 and the reception of the clamping elements 42 or 42 in the one-piece or multi-part plastic moulded portion 40 to equip the fixed roof element 14 or the body shell element 16 with the components of the shading system 20 simply and manually, namely by locking at the insert parts which are received by the plastic moulded portion 40. An additional frame for the shading system 20 is not required.

[0074] FIGS. 14 to 17 illustrate a fixed roof element 14 which is a component of a vehicle roof of the kind illustrated in FIG. 1 and is also fastened in a roof cutout in an immobile way with respect to a vehicle bodywork and includes a roof shell element 16, which is produced from laminated safety glass or a toughened safety glass and forms an outer visible surface of the vehicle roof.

[0075] Corresponding to the embodiment described above, the fixed roof element 14 also includes a substantially rectangular see-through area, which can be shaded by means of a shading system which comprises a roof roller blind as a shading element. The roof roller blind is guided in a guide rail 24 on either side of a vertical longitudinal centre plane of the roof, said guide rail 24 extending in the longitudinal direction of the roof, and can be displaced, by means of a tension bow, which is guided in the guide rails 24 with its ends via one slider each, between a cleared position, in which the see-through area is completely cleared, and a shading position, in which the see-through area is covered at least in part by the roof roller blind.

[0076] In a manner not illustrated, the shading system of the fixed roof element 14 illustrated in FIGS. 14 to 17 includes a drive arrangement, which comprises two drive cables driven by a common drive motor, which is joined to the underside of the roof shell element 16 in the front of the see-through area. Each of the drive cables is connected to one of the sliders of the tension bow, which are disposed on both sides and which are guided in the guide rails 24. The drive motor is connected to a control unit, which is also fastened to the underside of the roof shell element 16. In this respect, the fixed roof element 14 corresponds to the fixed roof element described above.

[0077] Again corresponding to the exemplary embodiment described above, the roller blind web of the roof roller blind is fastened to a winding shaft with its edge facing away from the tension bow, being wound up onto said winding shaft when clearing the see-through area and being wound down from said winding shaft for shading the see-through area.

[0078] A plastic moulded portion 40 is formed to the underside of the roof shell element 16, said plastic moulded portion 40 being produced from a polyurethane foam material. The plastic moulded portion 40 is formed to the roof shell element 16 in a foam moulding tool in a foam moulding process or RIM process (Reaction Injection Moulding Process).

[0079] Over the surface of each of the guide rails, the plastic moulded portion 40 receives multiple plastic elements 80 which are a component of a clamping unit and each form an insert part of the plastic moulded portion 40.

[0080] The plastic elements 80 each comprise a base plate 82, which can be realised like a frame or in a closed way and substantially has a plane-parallel orientation with respect to the roof shell element 16 constituting a panel. Two anchor ribs 84 are formed on the upper side of the base plate 82, said anchor ribs 84 extending in the longitudinal direction of the respective guide rail 24 and each being inclined with respect to the plane of the base plate 82 and the plastic moulded portion 40 reaching around said anchor ribs 84, the visible surface of said plastic moulded portion 40 being disposed in a flush way with the visible surface of the base plate 82. Two clamping ribs 86 are formed on the underside of the base plate 82, said clamping ribs 86 extending in the longitudinal direction of the respective guide rail 24 and also being inclined with respect to the base plate 82 and being tapered towards each other, as in particular shown by FIGS. 15 and 16.

[0081] The clamping ribs 86 are provided with stiffening ribs 88 on each of their outsides.

[0082] The clamping rib 86 which is disposed on the inside with respect to the vertical longitudinal centre plane of the vehicle roof engages with a holding channel 90 which is formed on the upper side of the guide rail 24. The clamping rib 86 which is disposed on the outside with respect to the vertical longitudinal centre plane of the vehicle roof interacts with an outer locking rib 92 of the guide rail 24, said locking rib 92 being formed by a free leg of an outer U-shaped portion of the guide rail 24 and including, at its upper end area, a projection 94, which is lug-like in cross-section and points towards the outside.

[0083] Furthermore, the plastic element 80 comprises a supporting rib 96 on the underside of the base plate 82, said supporting rib 96 extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 24 and an upper counter-rib 98 of the guide rail 24 laterally resting against said supporting rib 96.

[0084] The plastic elements 80, which are assigned to the two guide rails 24 are common parts, which are each realised in a mirror-symmetrical way with respect to a centre plane, which intersects the supporting rib 96.