U.S. patent application number 09/745166 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-25 for convertible vehicle with a rear window, which can be moved in a guideway.
Invention is credited to Maass, Joachim.
Application Number | 20010033089 09/745166 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8083544 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010033089 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Maass, Joachim |
October 25, 2001 |
Convertible vehicle with a rear window, which can be moved in a
guideway
Abstract
A convertible vehicle (1) with a roof (2), which can be folded
up and is provided with a rear window (8) and has, at the rear, two
lateral clamping collars (5; 6) which are essentially triangular in
plan view, the rear window (8) being held movably in a guideway
(10) with a roof frame part (11), assigned to the roof (2) and a
car body frame part (12), which is assigned to the car body and, in
the closed position of the roof (2) being movable at least
regionally from a closed normal position into a lowered position,
is constructed so that the clamping collars (5; 6) are connected
firmly with one another over a transverse connecting part (13) and,
between the roof frame part (11) and the car body frame part (12),
an interruption (10c) is provided in the guideway (10) for the
passage of the transverse connecting part (13) during the folding
up of the roof (2).
Inventors: |
Maass, Joachim; (Bissendorf,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
122 East 42nd Street
New York
NY
10168
US
|
Family ID: |
8083544 |
Appl. No.: |
09/745166 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
296/107.07 ;
296/146.14 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60J 1/1823 20130101;
B60J 1/183 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
296/107.07 ;
296/146.14 |
International
Class: |
B60J 007/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 24, 1999 |
DE |
299 22 812.6 |
Claims
1. A convertible vehicle (1) with a roof (2), which can be folded
up and is provided with a rear window (8) and has, at the rear, two
lateral clamping collars (5; 6), which are essentially triangular
in plan view, the rear window (8) being held movably in a guideway
(10) with a roof frame part (11), assigned to the roof (2) and a
car body frame part (12), which is assigned to the car body and, in
the closed position of the roof (2) being movable at least
regionally from a closed normal position into a lowered position,
wherein the clamping collars (5; 6) are connected firmly with one
another over a transverse connecting part (13) and, between the
roof frame part (11) and the car body frame part (12), an
interruption (10c) is provided in the guideway (10) for the passage
of the transverse connecting part (13) during the folding up of the
roof (2).
2. The convertible vehicle of claim 1, wherein, in the interruption
(10c), two lateral intermediate guiding parts (14) are disposed,
which can be aligned flush with the guideway (10b) of the roof
frame part (11) and (10a) of the car body frame part (12).
3. The convertible vehicle of claim 2, wherein the intermediate
guiding parts (14) are firmly connected with the transverse
connecting part (13).
4. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 2 or 3, wherein the
intermediate guiding parts (14) have an L-shaped or U-shaped cross
section.
5. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the
guideway (10) for the rear window (8) has a U-shaped or L-shaped
cross section in the roof frame part (11) is as well as in the car
body frame part (12).
6. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the
transverse connecting part (13) is constructed as a pipe.
7. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the
transverse connecting part (13), in the closed state of the roof
(2), is disposed below the plane of a part (7), covering the roof
in the opened state.
8. The convertible vehicle of claim 7, wherein the transverse
connecting part (13), for opening the roof (2), can be moved with
the intermediate guiding parts (14) in a guideway initially
extending upward and rearward.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a convertible vehicle with a
foldable roof, which is provided with a rear window, as defined in
the introductory portion of claim 1.
[0002] Such a convertible vehicle, on the one hand, can be used
with a completely open roof and, on the other, when the roof is
closed, offers the possibility of opening the rear windows
separately. For this purpose, a modular shaft can be provided,
which has an opening gap, intended for the rear window and sealed
at the top. In this connection, it must be ensured that the rear
window can be transferred from a roof frame part, without being
tilted, into a car body frame part of the module and vice versa. In
addition, for opening the roof while the rear window is in the
closed position, it must be possible to tilt the rear window
without having it collide with the module in the car body,
accommodating it and sealed towards the top.
[0003] It is an object of the invention to provide advantageous
relationships in this regard.
[0004] Pursuant to the invention, this objective is accomplished
with the distinguishing feature of claim 1. Further advantageous
developments of the invention are given in claims 2 to 8.
[0005] By the cross-connection of the triangular clamping collar, a
high torsional rigidity is achieved and the possibility that the
lateral parts of the roof can tilt towards one another is avoided.
The precision of the folding and unfolding of the roof is improved
by these means. Accordingly, a very accurate course of movement can
be maintained, which also makes possible small tolerances and
distances of the components from one another.
[0006] By means of the inventive interruption of the guideway, it
is ensured that the cross-connection part can be pushed over the
upper edge of the module on the car-body side when the roof is
unfolded, without causing a collision.
[0007] If two lateral intermediate guiding parts are disposed in
the interruption, the rear window can be moved with little
clearance in the guideway. The guidance of the window is improved
by these means, especially when the window is raised from the
lowered position.
[0008] The cross-connecting part may be constructed, for example,
as a pipe, so that the costs of preparing such a component are
slight.
[0009] An optically particularly unobtrusive arrangement of the
cross-connecting part can be achieved when this part is disposed
below the plane of a rear part of the cover, covering this
transverse connecting part in the opened state of the roof. To
avoid a collision while opening the roof, the cross-connecting
part, together with the intermediate guiding parts firmly connected
to it, can be moved in a guideway extending upward and rearward.
Such arrangements are advantageous particularly in a convertible,
in which the rear window stands essentially vertically even in the
closed position.
[0010] Further advantages and details arise out of the example of
the object of the invention, shown in the drawing and described in
the following.
[0011] In the drawing,
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of the rear
roof region of an inventive convertible,
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a view from direction II onto the rod linkage
parts supporting the roof,
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a view, similar to that of FIG. 2, while the
rear clamping collar is being swiveled up,
[0015] FIG. 4 shows a view, similar to that of FIG. 3 while the
roof is being folded up and
[0016] FIG. 5 shows a view, similar to that of FIG. 4, with the
roof folded up completely.
[0017] The convertible vehicle 1 comprises the roof 2 which can be
folded up and, in the rear region has two lateral end regions 3, 4,
which are essentially triangular and can be stretched by the
clamping collar, 5, 6 which bring about the triangular
configuration by these outline contour, on a rear portion 7 of the
lid.
[0018] A rear window 8 is disposed, in the driving direction F, in
front of and between the lateral end regions 3, 4. When the roof is
closed, the rear window 8 is almost vertical or inclined slightly
towards the vertical. From its normal position, which closes off
the roof 2 towards the rear, the rear window 8 can be moved into a
lowering position, in which it is held in a module 9 at the side of
the car body. This module comprises lateral guideway sections 10a
of a guideway 10. In the closed position, the rear window 8 is held
in a U-shaped frame 11, which is open downward and comprises the
lateral sections 10b of the guideway 10 for moving the rear window
8 up and down. Between the roof frame part 11 and the car body
frame part 12, there is an interruption 10c of the guideway 10, so
that the partial sections 10a and 10b are at a vertical distance
from one another.
[0019] The lateral clamping collars 5, 6 are connected with one
another by a cross-connecting part 13, which is constructed here as
a pipe. Extruded sections or other longitudinal components also
come into consideration. In the region 10c of the interruption to
the guideway, intermediate guiding parts 14 are disposed, which are
connected rigidly with the transverse connecting part 13 and in the
closed position of the roof 2, are aligned flush with the guideway
10, that is, form a continuation of the sections 10a and 10b. In
the example, the intermediate guiding parts 14 have a U-cross
section, as do the roof frame part 11 and the car body frame part
12. L-shape guides also come into consideration at lease partially,
depending on the construction.
[0020] To open the roof while the rear window 8 is closed,
initially the lateral clamping collars 5 and 6 are swiveled upward,
the cross-connecting part 13, held in the closed position below the
upper edge of the module, passing through the interruption 10c with
the intermediate guiding part 14 and, by these means, making
possible the swiveling up of the rear clamping collars 5, 6 in the
direction of the arrow 15. At the same time, the cross-connecting
part 13 is lifted over the car body frame part 12, without
colliding with the module 9 or the lateral car body frame parts 12.
For folding up the roof 2 further, the roof frame part 11, as a
component of a rear transverse frame 17, is swiveled about the
swiveling axis 18 in the direction of the arrow 19. At the same
time the clamping collars 5, 6 are shifted downward in the
direction of the arrow 20. In the completely folded up position
(FIG. 5), the cross-connecting part 13, as well as the intermediate
guiding part 14, which is firmly connected with the former, as well
as the roof frame part 11 lie far below the upper edge of the
lateral guide rail 12 of the module 9, over which the clamping
collars 5, 6 with their transverse connecting part 13 were lifted.
The guideway of the cross-connecting part 13 was therefore
initially directed upward and rearward and, as the roof was opened
further, was directed essentially downward. Over all, for the
cross-connecting part 13, a guideway is therefore attained, which
is superimposed in side view and comprises a lifting motion and a
swiveling motion and which is also followed by the clamping collars
5, 6, which are firmly connected with the cross-connecting part 13.
This can be attained, particularly, over a steering rod, which is
connected over a swiveling guide and a tie member with a rear part
of the roof frame, a bearing of the steering rod being guided in an
elongated hole connecting link, in order to attain the lifting
motion.
[0021] The intermediate guiding parts 14, like the transverse
connecting part 13, may consist of steel, in order to ensure
adequate mechanical stability by these means. Other materials, such
as plastic, also come into consideration for the intermediate
guiding parts 14. It is also possible to leave the interruption 10c
without an intermediate guiding piece 14.
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