Roof system for a vehicle comprising a sunshade assembly

Abstract

A roof system for a vehicle comprises a sunshade assembly (7) including a flexible sunshade screen (8) having opposite longitudinal edges and opposite transverse edges and a winding shaft (21, 22) carrying a rotatable winding roller (12) configured for winding and unwinding the sunshade screen at a first one of the transverse edges of the sunshade screen. The winding roller is provided with an internal spring (16) connected between the winding roller (12) and the winding shaft (21, 22) and is preloaded to wind the sunshade screen (8) thereon. Two drive cables (14) extend along the longitudinal edges of the sunshade screen (8) and are movable parallel to the longitudinal edges of the sunshade screen (8). The drive cables (14) are connected to opposite ends of an operating beam (11) of the sunshade screen for moving the operating beam (11) to wind and unwind the sunshade screen. A rotatable gear wheel (24) is positioned at only one end of the winding shaft (21, 22) and is fixed concentrically to the winding shaft (21, 22) and is drivably engaged with one of the drive members (14) such that displacement of the one of the drive members causes rotation of the winding shaft (21, 22) in the same direction as the winding roller (12).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a roof system for a vehicle including a sunshade assembly, the sunshade assembly comprising a flexible sunshade screen having opposing longitudinal edges and opposing transverse edges; a winding shaft carrying a rotatable winding roller configured to wind and unwind the sunshade screen at a first transverse edge of the transverse edges, the winding roller being provided with an internal spring connected between the winding roller and the winding shaft and preloaded to wind the sunshade screen thereon; an operating beam connected to a second transverse edge of the sunshade screen; and two drive members extending along and movable parallel to the longitudinal edges of the sunshade screen, wherein the drive members are driven by corresponding drive elements and connected to opposite ends of the operating beam for moving the operating beam to wind and unwind the sunshade screen. Background Technology

[0002] In the design and manufacture of roof assemblies, considerable effort has been made to reduce noise generated by the roof system due to operational movements. One source of noise is the electric motor drive. In the case of motor-driven sunshade assemblies (where the flexible sunshade is wound onto and unwound from the winding rollers), the noise generated by the electric motor changes due to the increased reaction force of the springs in the winding rollers. This spring force increases as the sunshade is unwound, thus loading the springs.

[0003] Many attempts have been made to reduce this increase in spring reaction force, and one way to achieve this is to allow the motor shaft to move together with the winding roller.

[0004] WO 96 / 01191 discloses a vehicle sunshade assembly in which a winding shaft is provided with gears at both ends, and a drive cable for driving an operating beam extends to engage the gears on the winding shaft. Therefore, if the operating beam is driven, the winding roller rotates via the wound or unfolded sunshade, and the winding shaft rotates via the gears. If the operating beam is driven at a constant speed, the winding shaft also rotates at a constant speed; however, the rotation of the winding roller increases or decreases due to the sunshade wound around or unfolded from the winding roller (which increases or decreases the winding diameter). Therefore, if the sunshade is unfolded from the winding roller, its diameter decreases, and thus the rotational speed of the winding roller increases. This means that the spring force increases slightly during unfolding, but is much lower than in the case where a spring connects the winding roller to the fixed component. This slight increase is advantageous because a greater force is required when the sunshade is fully unfolded compared to when the sunshade is only slightly unfolded.

[0005] The drawback of this existing roof system is that the additional gears and extended drive cables increase its cost. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One of the objectives of this invention is to at least reduce this drawback.

[0007] To achieve this objective, the roof system according to the invention includes a rotatable drive member positioned at only one end of the winding shaft and concentrically fixed to the winding shaft, and drivably engaged with one of the drive components such that displacement of said one drive component causes the winding shaft to rotate in the same direction as the winding roller.

[0008] Thanks to this invention, additional costs are reduced by driving the winding shaft using a gear fixed to only one end. A common practice in roof system manufacturing is that the drive mechanism in a sunshade assembly must always be symmetrical to avoid the sunshade being pulled out of alignment. It has been surprisingly found that a single-sided drive mechanism for the winding shaft does not cause this problem.

[0009] Although a single-sided drive for a winding shaft is known from DE 10 2007 012 259 A1, this sunshade is intended for use in windows where only one guide, and therefore only a single-sided drive for the winding shaft, is possible. Furthermore, the operating beam is driven by a single drive component, which contrasts with the present invention, where the operating beam is driven at both ends and the winding shaft at one end. In the design of roof systems, it has been considered that the external drives of all components in the sunshade assembly should be symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal centerline, but this has proven not to be necessary, at least not for the winding shaft.

[0010] In one embodiment, the spring is a torsion spring arranged around a winding shaft, with one end fixed to the winding shaft and the opposite end fixed to a winding roller.

[0011] For example, the spring retainer is clamped inside the winding roller and fixed to the opposite end of the torsion spring.

[0012] In a convenient embodiment, the drive component is a flexible drive cable with external teeth, and the drive member is a gear that engages with the teeth on one of the drive cables.

[0013] The drive member can be fixed to an end part of the winding shaft, the end part being rotatably housed within the winding roller. In this respect, the drive member can be integrated with the end part, or it can be attached to the end part, for example, by means of a flat key, spline, or similar mechanism.

[0014] The drive component is preferably arranged close to the bearing to rotatably support the winding shaft. Therefore, the driving force can be directly absorbed by the bearing.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the opposing longitudinal edges of the sunshade are foldable and configured as longitudinal strips. The sunshade assembly further includes a longitudinal guide adjacent to the edge of the sunshade and configured to guide the end of the operating beam and to slidably hold the strip at the edge of the sunshade, the edge being opened when the screen is wound on the winding roller and folded into the longitudinal guide when the screen is unwound from the winding roller.

[0016] In such an embodiment, the longitudinal guide may be provided with a folding member for folding and opening the sunshade strip, and one of the drive cables is guided to the gear in a cable guide integrated into the folding member. This reduces the number of components in the drive unit.

[0017] The cable guide extends outward from the corresponding longitudinal guide to the position where the gear engages.

[0018] The cable guide preferably extends longitudinally from the location where the gear engages and then extends inward along the bend, especially when the winding roller is positioned near the front or rear edge of the frame supporting the sunshade assembly.

[0019] The cable guide may be at least partially a tube fixed to the frame, and / or the cable guide may be at least partially integrated into or connected to the frame, the frame being at least partially made of plastic.

[0020] The present invention also includes a sunshade assembly designed for and obviously suitable for use in a vehicle roof system as described above. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Further details and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the following description of embodiments of the roof system with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 A perspective view of the upper part of a vehicle including a roof system with sunshade components.

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An enlarged perspective view of the frame of a roof system, the roof system including a sunshade assembly in a substantially open position.

[0024] Figure 3 Shown at a larger scale Figure 2Detail III in the text, and the frame is upside down.

[0025] Figure 4 Shown at a larger scale Figure 3 Part of it.

[0026] Figure 5 and 6 According to Figure 3 The cross-sectional views of lines VV and VI-VI are shown in the correct, un-upside-down position.

[0027] Figure 7 For corresponding Figure 3 The view shown is one example, but another embodiment is illustrated.

[0028] Figures 8 and 9 are respectively based on Figure 7 Cross-sectional views of lines VIII-VIII and IX-IX in the diagram.

[0029] Figure 10 For corresponding Figure 3 The view is shown, but another embodiment is presented.

[0030] Figure 11 For corresponding Figure 10 The view shows the opposite ends of the winding roller and the shaft.

[0031] Figure 12 and 13 According to Figure 10 Cross-sectional views of lines XII-XII and XIII-XIII in the diagram.

[0032] Figure 14 According to Figure 11 A cross-sectional view of line XIV-XIV in the diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Figure 1A portion of a vehicle (in this case, a passenger car) is shown, which includes a roof system within its fixed roof 1. The vehicle could also be, for example, a truck, campervan, caravan, etc. The roof system includes a transparent or translucent panel 2 (or a panel with variable transparency), configured to close or at least partially open a roof opening 3 in the fixed roof 1. The roof system further includes guide rails 5 along and below each (left and right) longitudinal edge 4 of the roof opening 3. The panel 2 is slidably guided in an outer part 6 of the guide rail 5 and is also movable in the vertical direction to allow the panel 2 to slide above or below the fixed roof 1. Adjacent to the movable translucent panel 2 (in this case, behind the movable translucent panel 2), a second panel 2' is arranged, which can be a fixed panel and can be translucent like the front panel 2. However, it is also conceivable that the second panel 2' is also a movable panel, for example, it could be a tiltable panel. Furthermore, individual panels or all panels of the roof system may be fixed.

[0034] The roof system further includes a retractable sunshade assembly 7, which comprises a retractable flexible fabric sunshade 8, allowing light from the outside of the vehicle to enter the vehicle's interior space in a rolled-up or open mode, and blocking sunlight when the sunshade assembly 7 is in an extended or unfolded mode. The retractable sunshade 8 is slidably guided in a pair of slots 9 in guide rails 5.

[0035] exist Figure 2 The roof system is partially shown, with the first and second panels 2, 2' omitted for clarity, and only the basic frame 10 of the roof system, which includes longitudinal guide rails 5, is shown. A retractable sunshade 8 is shown as a roller blind comprising flexible fabric, and an operating beam 11 is attached to the sunshade 8 at its free lateral edge.

[0036] Figure 3-6 As shown, the flexible sunshade 8 is fixed to the winding roller 12 on its lateral edge opposite the operating beam 11. When the sunshade 8 is in its open position, it is wound onto the winding roller 12, and when the sunshade 8 is in its closed position, it is unwound from the winding roller 12. To wind and unwind the sunshade 8, the operating beam 11 can be moved by hand or, in this case, by a motorized drive comprising an electric motor 13 and a toothed push-pull drive cable 14 engaged by the common electric motor 13 and guided within a guide rail 5 to slide the operating beam 11, which is guided by its end, which is also located within the groove 9 of the guide rail 5.

[0037] To stretch the sunshade 8 laterally during unfolding, the longitudinal side of the sunshade 8 is held by and guided within the grooves 9 of the guide rails 5. For example, the longitudinal side of the sunshade 8 is provided with guide strips (not shown) formed by or attached to the side edges of the sunshade 8. The guide strips can be folded along the longitudinal fold line and opened to a position aligned with the sunshade 8 when the sunshade 8 is wound onto the winding roller 12, and folded inward when the sunshade 8 is unfolded from the winding roller 12. This method of guiding the sides of the sunshade 8 is known and disclosed, for example, in US 9,649,918 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference). Folding guides 15 are positioned between each guide rail 5 and the winding roller 12 to guide the folding / unfolding movement of the corresponding guide strips of the sunshade 8.

[0038] The fabric of the sunshade 8 is stretched in the longitudinal direction by the spring 16 inside the winding roller 12.

[0039] Figure 14 This illustrates how spring 16 is attached to winding roller 12. A retainer 17 is rotatably secured within winding roller 12 (e.g., via one or more recesses 18). The retainer 17 holds one end of spring 16 (which is configured as a cylindrical wound or helical torsion spring) in a non-rotatable manner such that if winding roller 12 rotates, the secured end of spring 16 rotates with it. Figure 14 Further shown is a winding roller having a plastic bearing component 19, which is rotatably supported by a bearing 20 on a frame 10.

[0040] Figure 6 The opposite ends of the winding roller 12 in this first embodiment are shown. It also shows the opposite ends of the hollow winding shaft 21, which internally supports the spring 16 and connects the retainer 17 to the end part 22 of the winding shaft 21 so that they can rotate relative to each other. This end part 22 of the winding shaft 21 supports the winding roller 12, but not in a rotationally fixed manner, but rather in a rotatable manner by means of a bearing sleeve 23. The end part 22 holds the other end of the spring 16 in the same manner as the retainer 17, so that this end of the spring 16 cannot rotate relative to the end part 22. The end part 22 also supports a gear 24, which is either formed as a single piece with the end part 22 or attached to the end part 22 by means of a spline or similar mechanism. Adjacent to the gear 24, on the outside of the gear 24, is a bearing 25 in a plastic housing 28 on the frame 10, rotatably supporting this end of the winding roller 12 and the winding shaft 21, see also... Figure 3 and 4 .

[0041] like Figure 3-5As shown, gear 24 engages with an extension of one of the drive cables 14. The drive cable 14 is guided in guide rail 5, and in this embodiment, folding guide 15 is provided with an insertion cable channel 26, which acts as a cable guide to guide the drive cable 14 slightly outward and upward from the end of guide rail 5 to the periphery of gear 24, such that the teeth of gear 24 engage with the teeth on the outer side of drive cable 14. Longitudinal sliding displacement of drive cable 14 causes rotation of gear 24, and thus rotation of winding shaft 21. Drive cable 14 is further guided in cable channel 26, now inserted into frame 10, to cable guide tube 27, which is attached to frame 10 and extends substantially in the lateral direction of the roof assembly.

[0042] The operation of the sunshade components is as follows:

[0043] When the sunshade 8 is in the open position wound on the winding roller 12, the spring 16 is already loaded, i.e., twisted between the retainer 17 of the winding roller 12 and the end part 22 of the winding shaft 21. Therefore, when the winding shaft 21 is held by the drive cable 14 and the spring 16 is connected to the fixed end part 22 of the winding shaft 21 and loads the retainer 17 of the winding roller in the winding direction, the sunshade 8 is already tensioned in the longitudinal direction. If the electric motor 13 is actuated, it will cause the two drive cables 14 to move in a direction away from the winding roller 12 (in this case, forward) at the position of the operating beam 11 of the sunshade, so that the sunshade 8 will be unwound from the winding roller 12 via the operating beam 11. As a result, the winding roller 12 will rotate via the sunshade 8, and the rotational speed will depend on the speed of the operating beam 11, but also on the amount of sunshade 8 on the winding roller. In other words, during the unfolding process, the diameter of the sunshade 8 wound on the winding roller will decrease, and if the unfolding speed of the sunshade 8 remains constant, the rotational speed of the winding roller 12 will increase due to the decrease in the unfolding diameter (more rotation is required to unfold the sunshade of the same length).

[0044] When the drive cables 14 move to unfold the sunshade 8, one of the drive cables 14 will cause the gear 24 to rotate in the same direction as the winding roller 12. However, as long as the drive cables 14 move at a constant speed, the rotational speed of the winding shaft 21 will remain constant. This means that there will be a difference in rotational speed between the winding shaft 21 and the winding roller 12, depending on the diameters of the gear 24 and the winding roller 12, as well as the thickness of the sunshade 8. If the latter two are determined by design, the diameter of the gear 24 can be selected to obtain optimal characteristics, especially taking into account the spring force. That is, if there is a speed difference between the winding roller 12 and the winding shaft 21, the spring 16 will be further loaded or unloaded because the two ends of the spring 16 will rotate relative to each other, and therefore the spring 16 will be twisted. If the diameter of the gear 24 is selected to be relatively small, the spring 16 may be unloaded first until the rotational speed of the winding roller 12 catches up with the winding shaft 21, and the spring 16 will be reloaded. Preferably, the diameter of the gear 24 will allow the spring 16 to be loaded in a slightly increasing manner throughout the unfolding motion. In any case, the restoring force required to wind the sunshade 8 in the fully extended position is higher than that required to wind the sunshade 8 in the almost fully wound position. However, since the winding shaft 21 rotates together with the winding roller 12, the increase in spring force is limited, and thus the load on the electric motor 13 is limited, as is the increase in motor noise resulting therefrom.

[0045] Because of the rotating winding shaft 21, the spring 16 can be manufactured with a smaller overall diameter, a smaller wire diameter, and a shorter length, thereby enabling a reduction in the size of the winding roller. Since only one gear is used, additional costs can be kept to a minimum, and one gear has proven to be just as good as two.

[0046] Figure 7 Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a second embodiment of the sunshade assembly, which differs in the structure of the cable guide around gear 24. Firstly, Figure 7 and Figure 3 The difference is that the frame is now shown in its normal position. Therefore, the sunshade 8 is unfolded from below the winding roller 12, and the gear 24 is also driven from below it by the drive cable 14, which is... Figure 3 In contrast to the embodiments, in Figure 3 In this embodiment, both occur on the upper side. A closed cable guide 29, partially integrated with the bearing housing 28, guides the drive cable 14 toward the periphery of the gear 24, where the cable guide 29 terminates, and a separate support holds the drive cable 14 engaged with the gear 24. The cable guide tube 27 now extends to the vicinity of the gear 24.

[0047] Figure 10-14 Implementation examples and Figure 7 The embodiment of -9 is equivalent. The cable guide 29 is now combined with the bearing housing 28, which is formed by two parts. The cable guide tube 27 is supported by the cable support 31 of the frame 10. Figure 11 and 14 This illustrates how the drive cable 14 on the opposite end of the winding roller 12 is guided within the cable guide tube 27 by the bearing 20 on that end of the winding roller 12.

[0048] Detailed embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the invention, which may be implemented in various forms within the scope of the claims. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but merely as the basis for the claims and to teach those skilled in the art to use the representative basis of the invention differently in any suitable detailed structure contemplated. In particular, features presented and described in the independent dependent claims may be applied in combination, and any advantageous combinations of such claims are disclosed herein.

[0049] Furthermore, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention. As used herein, the term "a" is defined as one or more. As used herein, the term "a plurality" is defined as two or more. As used herein, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, the term "comprising and / or having" is defined as including (i.e., open-ended language). As used herein, the term "link" is defined as a connection, but not necessarily a direct connection.

[0050] The invention has been described thus; it will be apparent that the invention can be varied in many ways. Such variations should not be considered as departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications that will be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A roof system for a vehicle, the roof system comprising a sunshade assembly (7), the sunshade assembly (7) comprising: Frame (10) for supporting the sunshade assembly (7). A flexible sunshade with relative longitudinal edges and relative lateral edges (8); A winding shaft (21, 22) carries a rotatable winding roller (12), the winding roller (12) being configured to wind and unwind the sunshade at a first lateral edge in the lateral edge of the sunshade, the winding roller being provided with an internal spring (16) connecting the winding roller (12) and the winding shaft (21, 22), and being preloaded to wind the sunshade (8) thereon; An operating beam (11) is connected to the second lateral edge of the lateral edge of the sunshade. Two flexible drive cables (14) have external teeth and extend along the longitudinal edge of the sunshade (8) and are movable parallel to the longitudinal edge of the sunshade (8). These drive cables are driven by corresponding drive elements (13) and connected to opposite ends of the operating beam (11) for moving the operating beam (11) to wind and unwind the sunshade. A rotatable gear (24) is positioned at only one end of the winding shaft (21, 22) and concentrically fixed to the winding shaft (21, 22), and is drivably engaged with the external teeth of one of the drive cables (14) such that displacement of the drive cable engaged with the gear causes the winding shaft (21, 22) to rotate in the same direction as the winding roller (12); The drive cable engaging with the rotatable gear (24) is guided in a cable guide, which is at least partially integrated into or connected to the frame (10) and the frame (10) is at least partially made of plastic.

2. The roof system according to claim 1, wherein, The spring (16) is a torsion spring, which is arranged around the winding shaft (21, 22), and one end of the torsion spring is fixed to the winding shaft (21, 22) and the opposite end is fixed to the winding roller (12).

3. The roof system according to claim 2, wherein, The spring retainer (17) is clamped inside the winding roller (12) and fixed to the opposite end of the torsion spring (16).

4. The roof system according to claim 1, wherein, The gear (24) is fixed to the end part (22) of the winding shaft (21, 22), which is rotatably housed within the winding roller (12).

5. The roof system according to claim 1, wherein, The gear (24) is arranged close to the bearing (25) to rotatably support the winding shaft (21, 22).

6. The roof system according to claim 1, wherein, The opposing longitudinal edges of the sunshade (8) are foldable and configured as longitudinal strips. The sunshade assembly further includes a longitudinal guide rail (5) located next to the edge of the sunshade and configured to guide the end of the operating beam (11) and to slidably hold the strip at the edge of the sunshade, the edge unfolding when the sunshade is wound on the winding roller (12) and folding into the longitudinal guide rail (5) when the sunshade is unfolded from the winding roller.

7. The roof system according to claim 6, wherein, The longitudinal guide rail (5) is provided with a folding guide (15) for folding and unfolding the strip of the sunshade, and one of the drive cables in the drive cable (14) that engages with the gear is guided to the gear (24) in a cable guide, the cable guide being connected to or integrated into the folding guide (15).

8. The roof system according to claim 7, wherein, The cable guide extends outward from the corresponding longitudinal guide rail (5) to the position where it engages the gear (24).

9. The roof system according to claim 8, wherein, The cable guide extends longitudinally from the position where it engages the gear (24) and then extends inward along the bend.

10. The roof system according to claim 1, wherein, The cable guide is at least partially a tube fixed to the frame.

11. A roof system for a vehicle, the roof system comprising a sunshade assembly (7), the sunshade assembly (7) comprising: A frame (10) for supporting the sunshade assembly (7); A flexible sunshade with relative longitudinal edges and relative lateral edges (8); A winding shaft (21, 22) carries a rotatable winding roller (12), the winding roller (12) being configured to wind and unwind the sunshade at a first lateral edge in the lateral edge of the sunshade, the winding roller being provided with an internal spring (16) connected between the winding roller (12) and the winding shaft (21, 22) and being preloaded to wind the sunshade (8) thereon; An operating beam (11) is connected to the second lateral edge of the lateral edge of the sunshade. Two flexible drive cables (14) have external teeth and extend along the longitudinal edge of the sunshade (8) and are movable parallel to the longitudinal edge of the sunshade (8). These drive cables are driven by corresponding drive elements (13) and connected to opposite ends of the operating beam (11) for moving the operating beam (11) to wind and unwind the sunshade. A rotatable gear (24) is positioned at only one end of the winding shaft (21, 22) and concentrically fixed to the winding shaft (21, 22), and is drivably engaged with the external teeth of one of the drive cables (14) such that displacement of the drive cable engaged with the gear causes the winding shaft (21, 22) to rotate in the same direction as the winding roller (12); The drive cable engaging with the rotatable gear (24) is guided in a cable guide, which is at least partially a tube fixed to the frame.

12. A roof system for a vehicle, the roof system comprising a sunshade assembly (7), the sunshade assembly (7) comprising: A flexible sunshade with relative longitudinal edges and relative lateral edges (8); A winding shaft (21, 22) carries a rotatable winding roller (12), the winding roller (12) being configured to wind and unwind the sunshade at a first lateral edge of the lateral edge of the sunshade, the winding roller being provided with an internal spring (16) connected between the winding roller (12) and the winding shaft (21, 22) and preloaded to wind the sunshade (8) thereon, wherein the spring (16) is a torsion spring, the torsion spring being arranged around the winding shaft (21, 22), and one end of the torsion spring being fixed to the winding shaft (21, 22) and the opposite end being fixed to the winding roller (12), a spring retainer (17) being clamped inside the winding roller (12) and fixed to the opposite end of the torsion spring (16); An operating beam (11) is connected to the second lateral edge of the lateral edge of the sunshade. Two drive components (14) extend along the longitudinal edge of the sunshade (8) and are capable of moving parallel to the longitudinal edge of the sunshade (8), wherein the drive components are driven by corresponding drive members (13) and connected to opposite ends of the operating beam (11) for moving the operating beam (11) to roll up and unfold the sunshade. A rotatable drive member is positioned at only one end of the winding shaft (21, 22) and concentrically fixed to the winding shaft (21, 22), and is drivably engaged with one of the drive members (14) such that displacement of the drive member engaged with the drive member causes the winding shaft (21, 22) to rotate in the same direction as the winding roller (12).

13. The roof system of claim 12, comprising a frame (10) supporting the sunshade assembly (7), and a cable guide, the cable guide being at least partially integrated into or connected to the frame (10) as a cable guide channel (26), the frame (10) being at least partially made of plastic.

14. The roof system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, The drive member is arranged close to the bearing (25) to rotatably support the winding shaft (21, 22).

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