Open roof construction for a vehicle

Abstract

An open roof construction for a vehicle comprises at least one at least semi-transparent panel (2) for closing an opening (3) in a fixed roof portion (1) of the vehicle. A retractable sun screen device (7) is capable of blocking sunlight from entering through the panel. The sun screen device comprises a sun screen (8) slidably guided in a pair of rails (5), each rail (5) extending along its length below a longitudinal edge (4) of the opening in the fixed roof in a longitudinal direction. A light guiding device (11) is attached to each of the rails, comprising at least a first light guide (12) for guiding light from a light source (13) to an interior space (9) in the vehicle. The light guiding device (11) of each rail (5) comprises means (17, 18; 24, 25) to direct light at least in two different directions, one towards a central portion of the sun screen (8) and the other towards an area between the respective rail (5) and the panel (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an open roof structure for vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Such open roof constructions are known, for example, from EP2454110 B1 or from DE 20 2017 106 805 U1, and include a light guide in a rail for a sunshade device, the light guide being fitted into a cavity in the rail and directing light toward a narrow gap in the sunshade device visible to the occupants inside the vehicle.

[0003] The prior art lighting device works well when the sunshade is closed and therefore the underside of the sunshade is illuminated, but it does not provide satisfactory results if the sunshade is open. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide an improved open roof structure.

[0005] According to the present invention, an open roof structure for a vehicle includes at least one at least translucent panel for closing an opening in a fixed roof portion of the vehicle, a retractable sunshade device capable of blocking sunlight from entering through the panel, the sunshade device comprising a sunshade slidably guided in a pair of rails, each rail extending longitudinally below and along the longitudinal edge of the opening in the fixed roof, and a light guiding device attached to each of the rails, the light guiding device including at least a first light guide for guiding light from a light source to an interior space in the vehicle, wherein the light guiding device on each of the rails includes a device for guiding light in at least two different directions, one direction toward a central portion of the sunshade, and the other direction toward or from a region between the respective rail and the panel, such that the light provides illumination to the interior only when the sunshade is retracted. According to the present invention, the light guiding device guides light in two directions, one direction illuminating the closed sunshade, and the other direction providing (indirect) illumination to the interior when the sunshade is open. Light will be preferably directed so that the panels of the open roof structure are never directly illuminated from below, to prevent light from being reflected in the panels when the sunshade is opened.

[0006] In one embodiment, the first light guide includes a device for guiding light in two different directions.

[0007] This is the simplest solution because both lighting modes only require one light guide.

[0008] One possibility for guiding light in two directions is to use a device that includes an opaque shield that partially surrounds the first light guide.

[0009] In this way, the shield can be used to block light in all directions except two (or more, if needed).

[0010] The shield may include a transparent window at the location where light must be directed out of the first light guide to allow the overall shield to be maintained; however, at least one of the windows in the shield may be open so that the light guide can be introduced into the shield in a direction perpendicular to the shield, particularly when the shield is a component clamped around the first light guide.

[0011] In another embodiment, the shield is co-extruded with the first light guide, which simplifies assembly.

[0012] Instead of the shield or in addition to the shield, the device may include a light guiding member on the outer periphery of the first light guide, the light guiding member guiding light out of the first light guide at a position opposite to the light guiding member.

[0013] The light guiding component may include at least one of a prism, a light-reflecting printed material, or a co-extrusion on the periphery of the first light guide.

[0014] To further block light, the shield of each light guide may include a protrusion above the window that directs light toward the central portion of the sunshade. Such a protrusion can be used to prevent light from the light guide from reflecting off the transparent panel, which is typically made of glass or plastic.

[0015] In a particular embodiment, the light guiding device includes a second light guide that directs light to an upright cover covering at least a portion of the area between the corresponding guide rail and the panel.

[0016] While such a cover can also be used in embodiments with only the first light guide, using a separate second light guide in conjunction with, for example, an integrated cover (e.g., formed as part of the shield) can produce more specific effects. The second light guide itself may also be provided with upright protrusions that direct light directly from the second light guide into the interior. Such a second light guide would typically be positioned above the height of the sunshade.

[0017] To attach the first and / or second light guide to a fixed portion of the open roof structure, an accessory may be included to attach the shield to the guide rail. To further integrate the shield with the guide rail, a portion of the shield may form a sliding surface for the sunshade.

[0018] The first and / or second light guide may be a solid mandrel or a bundle of light guiding fibers surrounded by a cladding. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 A portion of the vehicle is shown in a perspective view, wherein the vehicle has an open roof structure within its fixed roof.

[0021] Figure 2 The front of the open roof structure is shown schematically at a larger scale in a perspective view, showing the location of the light guide device in the open roof structure.

[0022] Figures 3a and 3b show an embodiment of the guide rail and the light guiding device. Figure 2 The schematic cross-sections of lines III-XI to III-XI in the figure show the closed position (Fig. 3a) and open position (Fig. 3b) of the sunshade.

[0023] Figure 4-8 Figures 9b, 10, and 11 show a portion of a schematic cross-section of the guide rail as shown in Figure 3, but show an alternative embodiment of the light guiding device of Figure 3.

[0024] Figure 9A One end of the guide rail and Figure 9B A side view of a light guiding device, showing how the light source interacts with the light guide. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Figure 1The diagram illustrates a portion of a vehicle, in this case, a passenger car, which includes an open roof structure within its fixed roof 1. The open roof structure comprises a transparent or translucent panel 2 (or a panel with variable transparency) capable of closing or at least partially opening a roof opening 3 in the fixed roof 1. The open roof structure further includes guide rails 5 along each (left and right) longitudinal edge 4 of the roof opening 3 and below each (left and right) longitudinal edge 4 of the roof opening 3. The panel is slidably guided in the outer portion 6 of the guide rails 5 and is also vertically movable to allow the panel 2 to slide above or below the fixed roof 1. Adjacent to, and in this case behind, the movable translucent panel 2, is arranged a second panel 2', which may be a fixed panel and may be translucent like the front panel 2. However, it is also conceivable that the second panel 2' may also be a movable panel, for example, it may be a tiltable panel.

[0026] The open roof structure further includes a retractable sunshade device 7, which comprises a flexible fabric sunshade 8 or a rigid plate sunshade, both of which are retractable so that, in the retracted or open mode, light from the outside of the vehicle can enter the interior space 9 of the vehicle, and when the sunshade device 7 is in the extended or deployed mode, sunlight is blocked. The retractable sunshade 8 is slidably guided in a pair of guide rails 5.

[0027] exist Figure 2 The open roof structure is partially shown, with the first and second panels 2, 2' omitted for clarity, and only the basic framework 10 of the open roof system, including one of the guide rails 5, is shown. The retractable sunshade 8 is shown as a roller blind comprising a flexible fabric 8A and an operating beam 8B. Below each of the first and second panels 2, 2', a light guide device 11 may be present. The light guide device 11 may be attached to the guide rail 5 and may extend along the entire length of the guide rail 5 or only a portion thereof. Figure 2 It should be understood that two separate light guides 11 are respectively arranged on the mirrored guide rails 5 on the left and right sides, such that each of the light guides 11 extends over the length of one or each of the longitudinal edges of the panels 2, 2'. Each light guide 11 includes a means for guiding light from the light source 13 ( Figure 9A At least a first light guide 12 is directed to the interior space 9 of the vehicle. Such a light guide device 11 is shown in FIG3. Preferably, the light guide emits light along its entire length.

[0028] Figure 3 shows a portion of the guide rail 5, and further shows a portion of the flexible sunshade 8, which is held in the groove 14 of the guide rail 5 by the folded edge portion 15 of the flexible sunshade 8. Adjacent to and below the sunshade 8, the guide rail 5 is equipped with a light guide device 11. In this embodiment, the upper side of the light guide device 11 is approximately at the same level as the bottom of the groove 14. This means that a portion of the light guide device 11 can act as a support for the sunshade 8, which will be further explained later.

[0029] The light guiding device 11 includes a first light guide 12, which is composed of a solid transparent mandrel capable of transmitting light introduced into the light guide 12 by one or more of the light sources 13 (not shown) at one or both ends. The first light guide 12 extends generally parallel to the corresponding guide rails 5, 6 and therefore generally follows any curvature of the corresponding guide rails 5, 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the first light guide 12 has a circular cross-section; however, other cross-sections, such as polygons, rectangles, or squares, can be considered, where the edges can be rounded to avoid bright lines at sharp edges.

[0030] exist Figure 3A and 3B In the first embodiment, the light guide 12 is surrounded by a light-blocking (opaque) shield 16 having a first window 17 and a second window 18. The light guide 12 is able to guide light through the first window 17 toward the center portion of the sun visor 8, particularly when the sun visor 8 is closed, and through the second window 18 to components above the groove 14 of the guide rail 5, a seal 19 mounted on the guide rail, and a reinforcement 20 below the panel 2 that engages with the seal 19 when the panel 2 is in its closed position. These components can only be illuminated when the sun visor is retracted or wound on its spool. Windows 17 and 18 will be of sufficient length to illuminate the length of the panel 2 and the sun visor 8 exposed to the interior space 9 of the vehicle.

[0031] exist Figure 3A , 3B As shown, the shield 16 is equipped with a protrusion 21 that extends along its entire length toward the center of the sunshade 8. The length of the protrusion 21 blocks light in the direction of the panel 2, thereby preventing light from being reflected by the panel 2 when the sunshade 8 is retracted. Due to the height of the upper side of the shield 16 and the height of its protrusion 21 in this case, the shield 16 can be used to support and guide the sunshade 8. The material of the shield 16 can be selected to give it good sliding properties.

[0032] The light guide 12 can be made of, for example, transparent PMMA, while the shield 16 can be made of low-light-efficiency white PMMA. The light guide 12 and the shield 16 can be manufactured by co-extrusion, but preferably have some kind of surface separation to minimize the light entering the shield 16.

[0033] exist Figure 4 In one embodiment, the surface separation is achieved by a small-distance retainer 22 on the outer surface of the light guide 12.

[0034] Figure 5 One embodiment is shown in which the light guide 12 and the shield 16 are separate components. Windows 17 and 18 can be transparent portions of the shield 16 formed by co-extrusion. However, window 17 can also be open, so that the light guide 12 can be inserted into the shield 16 from the side through window 17, rather than from one end of the shield 16. The shield 16 can then be secured to the light guide 12 by clamping fittings. Other attachment methods can include welding, gluing, etc.

[0035] exist Figure 6A In this embodiment, the light guide 12 is not a solid mandrel, but comprises multiple fibers 23A bundled together by a cladding 23B. The shield 16 is formed as a separate element.

[0036] Figure 6B One embodiment is shown in which the cladding and shield are integrated, and thus the shield 16 shown also serves as the cladding of the fiber bundle light guide 12.

[0037] Figure 7A Another embodiment is shown in which the shield 16 is omitted, and where the light guide 12 has two prisms 24, 25 disposed on its outer surface at positions 180 degrees opposite to the positions of windows 17, 18. The prisms 24, 25 guide light from the inside to the other side to achieve the same effect as in the foregoing embodiment. The prisms 24, 25 may be formed or replaced by, for example, a light-reflecting print, a rough texture, or a co-extrusion or the like on the periphery of the first light guide co-extrusion. Figure 7B ).

[0038] Figure 8 What is shown is that Figure 7A Embodiments can also be combined with shield 16 to prevent any light from leaving the light guide 12 at an undesirable location.

[0039] Figure 9A and 9BIn this embodiment, the light guiding device 11 includes not only a first light guide 12 but also a second light guide 26. The second light guide 26 is positioned above the height of the sunshade 8. Both light guides 12 and 26 receive light from the same light source 13 (e.g., a light-emitting diode light source). Of course, light guides 12 and 26 can also receive light from different light sources. The cross-section of the light guide 12 and / or 26 at the location of the light source (one or more) can differ from the cross-section of the internally illuminated area. Similarly, in the latter position, the cross-section can vary along the length.

[0040] Each light guide 12, 26 illuminates its own area; in this case, the first light guide 12 illuminates the underside of the sunshade 8 and the second light guide 26 illuminates the area between the sunshade 8 (or the groove 14 of the guide rail 5) and the panel 2. For this purpose, the light guide 26 has a protruding portion 27 projecting in a generally vertical direction. Therefore, the light guide 26 emits light from this area, rather than illuminating it, and thus indirectly emits light from this area. Of course, the latter is also possible. Such a vertical protruding portion 27 can also function as a cover, preventing objects from being jammed by the sliding mechanism used to open and close one or both of the first and second panels 2, 2'. The vertical protrusion 27 is covered by a shield 16' on its side facing the outer portion 6 of the guide rail 5, which thus forms part of the cover.

[0041] Figure 10 and 11 Two embodiments are shown, in which the light guiding device 11, and in this case its shield 16, are integrated into the guide rail 5 and also perform the additional function already mentioned above. This additional function is to support and guide the sunshade 8 from below, and is not placed on a part of the guide rail 5. For this purpose, the shield 16 is provided with an attachment portion 28, through which the shield 16 is attached to the (upright) wall of the guide rail 5, for example by rivets 29 or by any other suitable means, such as threaded connection, adhesive bonding, welding, etc. Figure 10 In one embodiment, the shield 16 also forms the lower wall of the groove 14 for the folded edge portion 15 of the sunshade 8.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, which can be varied extensively within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, a diffuser may be positioned in front of (or integrated into) a light guide to smooth the light image.

Claims

1. An open roof structure for a vehicle, comprising at least one at least translucent panel (2) for closing an opening (3) in a fixed roof portion (1) of the vehicle, a retractable sunshade device (7) capable of blocking sunlight from entering through the panel, the sunshade device comprising a sunshade (8) slidably guided in a pair of guide rails (5), each guide rail (5) extending longitudinally below and along the longitudinal edge (4) of the opening in the fixed roof, and attached to each of the guide rails. The light guiding device (11) includes at least a first light guide (12) for guiding light from the light source (13) to the interior space (9) in the vehicle, wherein the light guiding device (11) on each of the guide rails (5) includes devices (17, 18; 24, 25) to guide light in at least two different directions, one direction toward the central portion of the sunshade (8) and the other direction toward or from the area between the corresponding guide rail (5) and the panel (2), such that the light provides illumination to the interior only when the sunshade is retracted.

2. The open roof structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first light guide (12) includes the devices (16, 17, 18; 24, 25) to guide light in two different directions.

3. The open roof structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The device includes an opaque shield (16) that partially surrounds the first light guide.

4. The open roof structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The shield (16) includes transparent windows (17, 18) at the location where light must be directed out of the first light guide (12).

5. The open roof structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, At least one of the windows (17, 18) of the shield (16) is open.

6. The open roof structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The protective cover (16) is co-extruded with the first light guide (12).

7. The open roof structure according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The shield (16) is a component that is clamped around the first light guide (12).

8. The open roof structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device includes light guiding members (24, 25) on the outer periphery of the first light guide (12), the light guiding members (24, 25) guiding light out of the first light guide at a position opposite to the light guiding members.

9. The open roof structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, The light guiding member (24, 25) includes at least one of a prism, a light-reflecting print, a rough texture, or a co-extrusion on the periphery of the first light guide (12).

10. The open roof structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The shield (16) of each light guide device (11) includes a protrusion above the window that guides light toward the central portion of the sunshade (8).

11. The open roof structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light guiding device (11) includes a second light guide (26) that guides light to an upright cover (16') that covers at least a portion of the area between the corresponding guide rail (5) and the panel (2).

12. The open roof structure according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The shield (16) includes an accessory (28) for attaching the shield to the guide rail (5).

13. The open roof structure according to claim 12, characterized in that, A portion (21) of the shield (16) forms a sliding surface for the sunshade (8).

14. The open roof structure for a vehicle according to claim 13, characterized in that, The shield (16) also forms the bottom of a guide groove (14) for guiding the lateral side edge (15) of the sunshade (8).

15. The open roof structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first or second light guide (12, 26) is a solid mandrel or a bundle of light guiding fibers (23A) surrounded by cladding (23B, 16).

16. The open roof structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light guiding device (11) emits light approximately along its entire length so as to illuminate the sunshade (8) and the panel (2) along the length of the interior space (9) exposed to the vehicle.

17. The open roof structure according to claim 11, characterized in that, The second light guide is positioned at a height above the sunshade (8).

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