Wind Deflector Comprising a Deflector Element Made of a Warp-Knitted Fabric and Method for Producing the Deflector Element

Abstract

A wind deflector for an openable vehicle roof having a displaceable cover element, the wind deflector may have a deployable deflector element which is made of a planar flexible material and forms a windward surface, the deflector element being attached to a pivotable deploying bow at its upper edge area and to a vehicle-attached base at its lower edge area and comprising a warp-knitted fabric having meshes. The warp-knitted fabric is a one-piece warp-knitted fabric. The windward surface is a curved surface whose curvature is defined by the interknitted meshes of the warp-knitted fabric.

Claims

1. A wind deflector for an openable vehicle roof having a displaceable cover element, the wind deflector comprising: a deployable deflector element which is made of a planar flexible material and forms a windward surface, the deflector element being attached to a pivotable deploying bow at its upper edge area and to a vehicle-attached base at its lower edge area and comprising a warp-knitted fabric having meshes, wherein the warp-knitted fabric is in one piece, and the windward surface is a curved surface whose curvature is defined by the interknitted meshes of the warp-knitted fabric.

2. The wind deflector according to claim 1, wherein the one-piece warp-knitted fabric has a warp-knitted edge thickening.

3. The wind deflector according to claim 2, wherein characterized the edge thickening is a lateral edge protection.

4. The wind deflector according to claim 2, wherein in that the edge thickening comprises a welt for attaching the warp-knitted fabric to the deploying bow or to the vehicle-attached base.

5. The wind deflector according to claim 1, wherein the one-piece warp-knitted fabric has a warp-knitted pocket in which a reinforcing element is disposed.

6. The wind deflector according to claim 5, wherein the pocket is an edge pocket and the reinforcing element is a welt element.

7. The wind deflector according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing element is completely enveloped by the warp-knitted fabric.

8. The wind deflector according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing element is inserted into the pocket.

9. The wind deflector according to claim 5, wherein the pocket has at least one recess, the reinforcing element being exposed in the area of the recess.

10. The wind deflector according to claim 1, wherein the warp-knitted fabric has a warp-knitted reinforcement zone at a distance from its edge.

11. The wind deflector according to claim 1, wherein the warp-knitted fabric has portions having different material thicknesses.

12. The wind deflector according to claim 1, wherein the warp-knitted fabric is provided with a warp-knitted pattern.

13. The wind deflector according to claim 1, wherein the warp-knitted fabric is provided with lateral tabs.

14. A method for producing a planar flexible deflector element of a wind deflector, comprising the steps of: providing a warp-knitted fabric for the deflector element having meshes, providing a thread system being warp-knitted into a one-piece warp-knitted fabric by a warp-knitting machine in such a manner that the resulting meshes together define an at least partially curved surface which forms a windward surface of the deflector element.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least one edge thickening is kitted on the warp-knitted fabric.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein at least one pocket for accommodating a reinforcing element is warp-knitted on the warp-knitted fabric.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the pocket is an edge pocket, and the reinforcing element is a welt element.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the reinforcing element is warp-knitted into the warp-knitted fabric.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the reinforcing element is inserted into the pocket.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a vehicle roof comprising a wind deflector;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wind deflector;

[0032] FIG. 3 shows one half of a deflector element of the wind deflector; and

[0033] FIG. 4 is a section through the deflector element along line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The drawing shows a motor vehicle 10, which has a vehicle roof 12, which is provided with a roof opening 14, which can be closed or at least partially open at will by means of a displaceable cover element 16.

[0035] A wind deflector 18, which can be deployed as a function of the degree of opening of cover element 16, is disposed adjacent to a front edge area of roof opening 14, wind deflector 18 essentially extending in the transverse vehicle direction and serving to prevent the occurrence of potentially disturbing air flows and air turbulence in the vehicle interior when roof opening 14 is open. So wind deflector 18, which will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 below, is a functional element which is active when cover element 16 is in the open position.

[0036] Wind deflector 18 comprises an at least approximately U-shaped deploying bow 20, which has two legs 22A and 22B, which serve as deploying arms, and a transverse leg 24, which extends in the transverse vehicle direction and connects the two legs 22A and 22B, which extend in the longitudinal vehicle direction. Deploying arms 22A and 22B are each mounted in a pivotable manner in the area of a guide rail for cover element 1 6, the guide rail extending in the longitudinal vehicle direction, and are each pre-loaded in the deploying direction by means of a deploying spring. The degree of deployment of deploying arms 22A and 22B and thus deploying bow 20 is determined by a position of cover element 16 in the longitudinal vehicle direction. When roof opening 14 is being closed, cover element 16 slides onto deploying arms 22A and 22B from behind starting from an open position, which causes them to be pushed downward against the force of the deploying springs and deploying bow 20 to be pivoted from its functional position into its rest position. When cover element 16 is being displaced in the rear direction, deploying arms 22A and 22B are released, which allows deploying bow 20 to automatically move into its functional position by the action of the deploying springs.

[0037] Wind deflector 18 comprises a deflector element 26, which is illustrated in isolation in FIGS. 3 and 4 and which is disposed between deploying bow 20 and a vehicle-attached base 28, which can be formed by a sunroof frame which also comprises the guide rails for cover element 16.

[0038] Deflector element 26 is made of a flexible foldable material and is a warp-knitted three-dimensional shaped piece, which is composed of one piece and forms a windward surface 30 of wind deflector 18, windward surface 30 being a curved surface, whose curvature is defined by the interknitted meshes of the warp-knitted fabric. The contour of the shaped piece, i.e., the warp-knitted fabric, and the curvature of the shaped piece, i.e., the warp-knitted fabric, are predetermined by the warp-knitting process carried out in a warp-knitting machine.

[0039] Warp-knitted deflector element 26 comprises respective warp-knitted edge thickenings 32 at its upper edge and at its lower edge, each edge thickening 32 being formed by a pocket 34, which accommodates a tape-like welt element 36 for forming and edge welt, welt element 36 being a reinforcing element and extending across the entire width of deflector element 26. In the installed position, the edge welts formed by pockets 34 and welt elements 36 each engage a corresponding welt groove of deploying bow 20 and vehicle-attached base 28, respectively.

[0040] The warp-knitted fabric has a warp-knitted edge thickening 38, which is formed by a material thickening, at the lateral edges of deflector element 26 so as to provide these edges with an edge protection.

[0041] To stabilize windward surface 30 in the lateral curved surface portions, deflector element 26 has two reinforcing ribs 40 in each of its lateral portions on either side, reinforcing ribs 40 each also being formed by respective warp-knitted pockets 42, in each of which a reinforcing element 44 in the form of a plastic strip, a tape or a wire is disposed. Pockets 42 are also produced in the process during the production of deflector element 26.

[0042] Deflector element 26 is produced by warp-knitting a thread system by means of a warp-knitting machine in such a manner that the resulting meshes together define curved windward surface 30 and pockets 34 and 42 and edge thickening 38 are co-warp-knitted from the thread system in the process. In the warp-knitting process, welt elements 36 for forming the edge welts and reinforcing elements 44 for forming ribs 40 are enveloped by the employed thread system with the result that finished deflector element 26 including elements 36 and 44 warp-knitted into it can be removed from the warp-knitting machine and can be connected to vehicle-attached base 28 and deploying bow 20 of wind deflector 18 during assembly without any additional previous processing.