PUSHING AND/OR PULLING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE TOP AND TOP FOR AN OPENABLE VEHICLE ROOF

Abstract

A pushing and/or pulling device for a vehicle top, with two link chains, which are respectively provided with a plurality of link elements and extend at a predetermined distance to each other. The link chains are respectively guided at one end in a guide, which defines a movement direction and a distance of the link chains to each other, which are connected at the other end via a transverse connection to each other, so that the link chains extend upon exiting the guide in a joint plane. Two adjacent link elements of the link chains are movably connected to each other via a joint, so that at least one part of the link elements is upon entering the link chains put away in the respective guide in a corresponding storage area.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A Pushing and pulling device for a vehicle foldable top comprising: two link chains, which are respectively provided with a plurality of link elements, and which extend at a predetermined distance to one another, wherein the link chains are respectively guided at one end in a guide, which predetermines a movement direction, and the mutual distance of the link chains to each other, and at the other end are connected to each other via a transverse connection, so that the link chains upon exiting the guide extend in a joint plane, wherein two adjacent link elements of the link chains are movably connected to each other via a joint, so that at least when the link chains enter into the respective guide, they are stored in a corresponding storage area, and wherein the adjacent link elements are upon exiting the respective guide lying against each other and support each other, wherein the pivot axes have between two adjacent link element of the respective link chain a predetermined inclination angle to the joint plane E, wherein the pivot axes of both link chains extend inclined to each other or parallel relative to each other, so that the link chains extend in a self-supporting manner in the predetermined movement direction and mutually block each other against other movement directions.

19. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 18, wherein the inclination angle, to the joint plane is predetermined in a value range that is more than 0 and less than 180.

20. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 18, wherein in that the link is designed as a hinge with a fixed pivot axis, or as a ball joint with variable pivot axes.

21. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 20, wherein the adjacent link elements that are connected via a ball joint are provided with guide contours, which mutually support the adjacent link elements against each other upon exiting the respective guide.

22. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 21, wherein a first guide contour is designed as a recess and a second guide contour is designed as an elevation.

23. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 18, wherein the guide is provided with at least one drive element that is coupled to a drive which moves the respective link chains.

24. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 23, wherein the at least one drive element is designed as a traction cable, or a toothed wheel, or a traction wheel, a worm wheel, or a belt.

25. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 18, wherein the guide comprises a load-bearing end section and a connecting section, which determines a curved path for the corresponding link chain between the load-bearing end section and the storage area.

26. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 25, wherein the load-bearing end section and the connecting section and the storage area are designed as guide rails, which are arranged within the link elements.

27. The pushing and/or pulling device according to claim 25, wherein the load-bearing end section and the connection section and the storage area are designed as guide rails which receive the link elements.

28. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 25, wherein the link elements are respectively provided with at least one guide element, which is guided prior to exiting the guide in the load-bearing end section.

29. The pushing and pulling device according to claim 25, wherein the individual link elements of the respective link chains have the same or different dimensions and forms.

30. A folding top for an openable vehicle roof, comprising: a plurality of folding top sections and with a pushing and pulling device, wherein the folding top sections are moved from a non-usage position to a usage position, wherein the pushing and pulling device includes: two link chains, which are respectively provided with a plurality of link elements, and which extend at a predetermined distance to one another, wherein the link chains are respectively guided at one end in a guide, which predetermines a movement direction, and the mutual distance of the link chains to each other, and at the other end are connected to each other via a transverse connection, so that the link chains upon exiting the guide extend in a joint plane, wherein two adjacent link elements of the link chains are movably connected to each other via a joint, so that at least when the link chains enter into the respective guide, they are stored in a corresponding storage area, and wherein the adjacent link elements are upon exiting the respective guide lying against each other and support each other, wherein the pivot axes have between two adjacent link element of the respective link chain a predetermined inclination angle to the joint plane E, wherein the pivot axes of both link chains extend inclined to each other or parallel relative to each other, so that the link chains extend in a self-supporting manner in the predetermined movement direction and mutually block each other against other movement directions.

31. The folding top according to claim 30, wherein a front folding top section is designed as a rigid roof top which the at least one intermediate part is connected to a rear rigid folding section which is provided with a rear window.

32. The folding top according to claim 31, wherein the front folding top section forms a transverse connection between the two link chains.

33. The folding top according to claim 31, wherein the front folding top section is arranged in the non-usage position above or below the rear rigid folding top section.

34. The folding top according to claim 30, wherein on the link elements is respectively arranged a window seal with a receiving slot, in which can be inserted a free edge of a side window.

Description

[0024] Embodiments of the invention illustrated in the figures will be explained next in more detail. The same reference symbols are used for designation of the same components or elements representing the same or analogous functions. The figures show the following:

[0025] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of a pushing and/or pulling device for a vehicle top in a usage position,

[0026] FIG. 2 a schematic representation of the pushing and/or pulling device according to the invention of FIG. 1 in a non-usage position,

[0027] FIG. 3 a schematic lateral view of an upper sectional view of a vehicle with a schematic representation of the process for guiding the pushing and/or pulling device according to the invention of FIG. 1,

[0028] FIG. 4 a schematic representation of an embodiment of a link between two adjacent link elements of the pushing and/or puling device according to the invention, and

[0029] FIG. 5 a schematic representation of another embodiment of a link between two adjacent link elements of the pushing and/or pulling device according to the invention, and

[0030] FIG. 6 a schematic sectional view of the adjoining elements of FIG. 5 lying against each other,

[0031] FIG. 7 a schematic sectional view of the pushing and/or pulling device according to the invention,

[0032] FIG. 8 a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of a link element of the pushing and/or pulling device according to the invention,

[0033] FIG. 9 a sectional view of another embodiment of a link element of the pushing and/or pulling device according to the invention.

[0034] As one can see from FIG. 1 through FIG. 9, the embodiments comprise a pushing and/or pulling device 30 according to the invention for a vehicle top, as well as two link chains 31A, 31B, which are provided with respective link elements 34, 34A, 34B, and which are deployed at a predetermined distance A to one another. The link chains 31A, 31B are guided at one end into a guide 40, which determines the movement direction T.sub.X1, T.sub.X2 and the distance A of the link chains 31A, 31B to each other. These are mutually connected to each other at the other end by means of a transverse connection 32, so that the link chains 31A, 31B upon exiting the guide 40 extend on a joint plane E. In this case, two adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B are movably connected to each other, so that at least one part of the link elements 34, 34A, 34B of the link chains 31A, 31B are respectively connected to each other, and so that at least one part of the link elements 34, 34A, 34B is placed into a corresponding storage area 46 when the link chains 31A, 31B enter into the respective guide 40.

[0035] The adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B are placed upon exiting the respective guide 40 against each other and they are mutually supported against each other. According to the invention, the pivot axes A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb are provided between two adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B of the respective link element 31A, 31B a predetermined inclination angle A.sub.a, A.sub.b to the joint plane E. In this case, the pivot axes A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb of both link chains 31A, 31B are inclined against each other or run parallel to each other, so that the link chains 31A, 31B extend in a self-supporting manner in the predetermined movement direction R.sub.x1, R.sub.x2 and mutually block each other from other movement directions R.sub.y1, R.sub.y2, R.sub.z1, R.sub.z2.

[0036] The predetermined movement directions R.sub.x1, R.sub.x2 extend in the indicated embodiments essentially parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal direction x. The blocked movement directions R.sub.y1, R.sub.y2, R.sub.z1, R.sub.z2 extend parallel to the vehicle's transverse direction y and to the height direction of the vehicle.

[0037] As a result of the described orientation of the pivot axes A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb of the adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B, a self-supporting pushing and/or pulling device 30 can be represented with two link chains 31A, 31B, which are simply rolled up in the relaxed or flexible state and/or stored in a storage area 46. The self-supporting effect is produced via the transverse connection 32 determining the predetermined distance A at one end of the link chain 31A, 31B, or when the respective guide 40 exits the between the link chains 31A, 31B, which causes a mutual support of the link chains 31A, 31B against each other, so that after exiting the guide 40, a mutual support is produced between the adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B of the respective link chains 31A, 31B.

[0038] As can be further clearly seen in FIG. 1 through 3, the illustrated embodiment comprises a rear roof bar 2, a windshield 41 and an openable vehicle roof with a folding top 20. The folding top comprises a plurality of folding top sections and a pushing and/or pulling device 30, which moves folding top sections from a usage position illustrated in FIG. 1 to a non-usage position illustrated in FIG. 2. As can be further seen from FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, a front folding top section 22 is designed as a rigid roof top, which is connected by means of at least one intermediate part, not shown here, to a rear rigid folding top section 26, which is provided with a rear window. As can be further seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the front folding top section 22 forms the transverse connection 32 between the two link chains 31A, 31B. In this case, the front folding top sections 22 can be arranged in the non-usage position above or below the rear rigid folding top section 26.

[0039] The adjacent link element 34, 34A, 34B of the respective link chains 31A, 31B are mutually connected to each other in such a way that they can only be pivoted relative to each other about a predetermined pivot axis A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb. This means that the adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B of a first link chain 31A can also only pivot about a first pivot axis A.sub.Sa and therefore they can be also angled between the adjacent link chains 31A, 31B. The adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B of a second link chain 31B can also be pivoted only by a second pivot axis A.sub.Sb, so that the second link chain 31B can also be angled only about the second pivot axis A.sub.Sb between the adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B. The adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B of the link chains 31A, 31B reinforce each other when a force is acting in the opposite direction of the respective pivot axis A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb, because the adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B are in contact and thus prevent angling. With the pivot axes A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb of the first link chain 31A and of the second link chain 31B, which are oriented in opposite directions, the first link chain 31A blocks with the predetermined distance A angling of the second link chain 31B about the second pivot axis A.sub.Sb, and the second link chain 31B blocks with the predetermined distance A angling of the link chain 31A about the first pivot axis A.sub.Sa.

[0040] As can be further clearly seen from FIG. 4, the joint 36 is in the illustrated embodiment realized as an inexpensive hinge 36A that is provided with a fixed predetermined pivot axes A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb.

[0041] As can be also seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, the joint 36 is designed in the illustrated example as a ball joint with variable pivot axes. In this embodiment, the connected adjacent link elements 34 connected via the ball joint 36B are provided with guide contours 38.1, 38.2, which mutually support adjacent link elements 34 against each other upon exiting the guide 40. In the illustrated embodiment, a first guide contour 38.1 is designed as a recess with a triangular cross-section, and a second guide control 38.2 is designed as an elevation with a corresponding triangular cross-section which is received in the recess.

[0042] As can be seen further also from FIG. 7 through 9, the inclination angle a.sub.a, a.sub.b of the pivot axes

[0043] A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb to the joint plane E is predetermined in a value range that is more than 0 and less than 180. The pivot axes A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb are between the adjacent link elements 34, 34A, 34B adapted to the conditions in the vehicle, in particular to the space that is available for the foldable top to be lowered and put away.

[0044] So for example, a first pivot axis A.sub.Sa illustrated in FIG. 7 has a value of approximately 45 between the two adjacent link elements 34 of the first link chain 31, which are connected by means of a hinge 36. The second pivot axis A.sub.Sb, which is inclined in the opposite direction to the first pivot axis A.sub.Sa, has between two adjacent link element 34 of the link chain 31B, which is connected by means of a hinge 36, for example a value of approximately 135.

[0045] A second pivot axis A.sub.Sb shown in FIG. 8 between two adjacent link elements 34 of the second link chain 31B, which are connected via a joint 36, has for example with a value of approximately 90. The corresponding first pivot axis A.sub.Sa, not shown here, then has between two adjacent link elements 34 of the first link chain 31A also a value of 90. A second pivot axis A.sub.Sb, shown in FIG. 9, has between two adjacent link element 34 of the second link chain 31B, which are connected via a hinge 36, for example the value of approximately 60. The corresponding first pivot axis A.sub.Sa, not shown, then has between two adjacent link element 34 of the first link chain 31A a value of approximately 120.

[0046] As can be clearly seen from FIG. 7 through 9, the individual link elements 34, 34A, 34B can have any form. In addition, the individual link elements 34, 34A, 34B of the respective link chains 31A, 31B can also have the same or different dimensions and/or forms. So for example, the first link elements 34, 34A, 34B of the respective link chain 31A, 31B, which are connected with a transverse connection, can have a different form and/or different dimensions than the other link elements 34, 34A, 34B. The link elements 34 illustrated in FIG. 7 are provided for example with a rhomboid-shaped cross-section. The link elements 34A, 34B shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 have for example different trapezoid-shaped cross-sections.

[0047] As can be seen for example from FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, the guide 40 comprises in the illustrated embodiment a load-bearing end section 42 and a connecting section 44, which defines a curved path for the corresponding link chain 31A, 31B between the load-bearing end section 42 and the storage area 46. In the illustrated embodiment, the load-bearing section 42, the connecting section 44 and the storage area 46 are respectively designed as guide rails, which are arranged within the link element 34, 34A, 34B. As an alternative, the load-bearing end section 42, the connecting section 44 and the storage area 46 can be respectively designed as guide rails which receive the link elements 34, 34A, 34B. Additionally, any combinations are conceivable. So for example, the load-bearing end section 42 can be arranged within the link elements 34, 34A, 34B and the connecting section 44 and the storage area 45 can receive the link elements 34, 34A, 34B.

[0048] As can be further seen from FIGS. 8 and 9, the link elements 34A, 34B are in the illustrated embodiment respectively provided with at least one guide element 34.1, which is guided into the load-bearing end section 42 prior to exiting the guide 40. In the case of the link element 34A illustrated in FIG. 8, the guide element 34.1 can be designed for example as a knob which is guided into the load-bearing end section 42 that is realized as a guide rail. In the case of the link element 34B illustrated in FIG. 9, the guide element 34.1 is designed for example as a roller which is moved to the load-bearing end section 42 designed as a guide rail. In addition, the guide 40 is provided with t least one drive element that is coupled to a drive, not shown in the figure, which moves the respective link chains 31A, 31B. The at least one drive element can be realized for example as a traction cable, or as a toothed wheel, a traction wheel, a worm wheel, or a belt.

[0049] As one can see further from FIGS. 8 and 9, a window seal 34.2 that is provided with a receiving slot is arranged on the link elements 34A, 34B, into which can be inserted a free edge of a side window. In addition, a convertible top 24 closes in the usage state the link elements 34A, 34B in the upward direction.

[0050] Embodiments of the invention represent a self-supporting pushing and/or pulling device for a vehicle top provided with two link chains, which can be rolled up in the relaxed or flexible state and/or stored in a simple manner in a storage area.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0051] 1 vehicle [0052] 2 roof bar [0053] 4 windshield [0054] 20 foldable top [0055] 22 front foldable top section [0056] 24 foldable top material [0057] 26 rear foldable top section [0058] 30 pushing and/or pulling device [0059] 31A, 31B link chain [0060] 32 transverse connection [0061] 34, 34A, 34B link element [0062] 34.1 guide element [0063] 34.2 window seal [0064] 36 link [0065] 36A hinge [0066] 36B ball joint [0067] 38 guide structure [0068] 38.1 first guide contour [0069] 38.2 second guide contour [0070] 39 traction cable [0071] 40 guide [0072] 42 load-bearing end section [0073] 44 connecting section (curved path) [0074] 46 storage area [0075] R.sub.x1, R.sub.x2, R.sub.y1, [0076] R.sub.y2, R.sub.z1, R.sub.z2 movement direction [0077] A.sub.Sa, A.sub.Sb pivot axis [0078] a.sub.a, a.sub.b inclination angle [0079] E common plane [0080] A distance [0081] x vehicle's longitudinal direction [0082] y vehicle's transverse direction [0083] z vehicle's height direction