Raising roofs for vehicles

Abstract

A system 100 for a vehicle, such as a campervan, comprising: a frame 106 mounted in a roof 102 aperture (104, Fig. 2); a roof 122 to be raised or lowered; and a lifting mechanism 10. The lifting mecha

Description

This invention relates to raising roofs for vehicles. Vehicles may be fitted with raising roofs to enable the headroom with the vehicle to be selectively increased for certain purposes. Classically, a campervan might be fitted with a raising roof, which enables the roof to be lowered during ordinary use for aerodynamic and security reasons, but which when the van is parked, may be raised to provide useful living accommodation, standing headroom, space for a high-level bed, etc. within the vehicle. Raising roofs are relatively commonplace nowadays, and much work has to be done in recent years to improve the structural integrity, convenience, aesthetics, and so on of the basic design. For example, UK Patent No: GB2494750 [The Hilo Roof Company Ltd, 25 September 2013] describes a raising roof for vehicle, which has an “inboard and down” supporting framework configuration, which enables the roof, when lowered, to lie almost flush with the existing roofline, or to only minimally protrude above the existing roofline. EUIPO Registered Design No: EM002651786-0001 shows another type of raising roof for vehicle, which has a novel zip configuration for the “canvas” of the roof, which enables the canvas to be in-place for weathertightness, or to be zipped back to provide an open vista and improved ventilation. In most cases, a raising roof for a vehicle is formed by cutting-out an aperture within the roof of a vehicle, and by welding, glueing or otherwise affixing a frameworkaround the perimeter of the aperture to maintain the structural integrity of the roof as much as possible. A roof panel is provided, which overlies the aperture, and which extends outwardly beyond the aperture’s perimeter so as to close-off the aperture when the roof panel is in the lowered position. Seals and drainage channels are often used between the framework and the roof panel to prevent or inhibit, the ingress of draughts, rainwater, and the like. A mechanism is usually interposed between the framework and the roof panel to enable it to be moved between a lowered position and a raised position, in which the roof panel is vertically and / or rotationally displaced from the framework so as to create the required increased headroom within the vehicle. Pintle hinges may be used to enable the roof panel to be pivoted about its side edge or one of its front / rear edges, telescopic struts may be used to enable the roof panel to be raised parallel to the vehicle’s roofline, or a “scissor hinge” mechanism may be employed to enable the roof to lift and tilt. A “canvas” is then usually provided between the framework and the underside of the roof panel, which is pulled taut when the roof panel is raised so as to form a generally tubular enclosure, but which is flexible enough to be gathered-up, pleated, or folded out of the way when the roof panel is lowered. Lift assists, such as compression springs, gas struts and the like, are also commonplace in raising roof designs, and are used to provide some mechanical assistance to avoid the need for a user to have to lift the substantial weight of the roof panel, canvas, and other accessories during raising of the roof to the elevated position. Typically, a raising roof is actuated by disengaging one or more hold-down locks, which secure the roof panel to the vehicle roof when in the lowered position. Hold-down locks are generally needed to avoid the roof panel inadvertently lifting-off due to wind forces during conventional driving, or in bad weather conditions. The roof is then raised, using a lift-assist device where fitted, and in many cases, an “over-centred” spring system, detent, or locking configuration is built into the mechanism, such that once the roof panel has been raised beyond a particular point, it remains in that position, or is automatically pushed / pulled to a fully-extended position. The canvas and internal layout of the vehicle can be configured to suit the user’s requirements. Manually-actuated raising roofs pose a number of problems, not only in terms of convenience and the number of operations needed to complete the raising / lowering procedure, but also in terms of accessibility for less-physically-able users. Motorised raising roofs have therefore been developed, which use motorised linear actuators, gear mechanisms, or electric catch release systems for spring-loaded mechanisms, which can obviate the need for manual actuation of the roof raising / lowering mechanism. A known motorised raising roof for a vehicle has four substantially vertical, telescopic struts that are connected between the vehicle and the underside (e.g. cut out near to the corners) of the raising roof. By extending or retracting the telescopic struts, the roof panel can be caused to lift / lower, respectively. However, such designs tend to have relatively large mechanisms, i.e. “pillars”, located within the interior of the vehicle, which can be detrimental from fitting-out and space-economy, perspectives. A need therefore exists for an improved and / or alternative raising roof for a vehicle, which the present invention aims to provide. The invention is set forth in the appended independent claim or claims. Preferred and / or optional features of the invention are set forth in the appended dependent claims. According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a roof system for a vehicle comprising: a peripheral support frame adapted, in use, to affix to a perimeter of an aperture cut into a roof of the vehicle; a raising roof moveable between: a lowered position in which it overlies the peripheral support frame to close the aperture in the vehicle’s roof; and a raised position in which it is displaced from the peripheral support frame away from the vehicle; and a lift mechanism interposed between the peripheral support frame and the raising roof wherein, the lift mechanism comprises: on opposite edges of the raising roof, a pair of pivotally connected struts whose upper ends are articulatedly connected to an underside of the raising roof, and whose lower ends are articulatedly connected to the peripheral support frame, at least one of the lower strut ends having a pin-slot type connection to the peripheral support frame, such that relative movement of the struts about their respective pivots moves the raising roof between the said lowered and raised position or vice-versa; and a linear actuator arranged substantially parallel to the peripheral support frame and being configured to drive the pivot of the pin-slot connection substantially parallel to the support frame, characterised in that, when the raising roof is in the lowered position, an angle subtended between the pin-slot-connected strut and the peripheral support frame, and hence the direction of travel of the linear actuator is non-zero. The invention thus provides a means for effectively raising and / or lowering the raising roof of a vehicle using a linear actuator. The linear actuator can be of any suitable type, but for most vehicular applications, it would be a 12VDC or 24VDC motorised telescopic actuator, such as a motorised belt, balls screw, or lead-screw-type linear actuator. It will be appreciated that when the raising roof is in the fully-lowered position, due to the resolution of forces involved, the initial phase of lifting the roof (“cracking” it open) involves maximum force, as well as minimum displacement of the linear actuator. As such, the invention is characterised by providing a configuration such that when the raising roof is in the lowered position, the angle subtended between the pin-slot-connected strut and the peripheral support frame, and hence the direction of travel of the linear actuator is non-zero. This means that instead of the direction of the force applied by the linear actuator being parallel to the strut at the start of the raising process (which would result in a resolved upward component of zero), the force applied by the linear actuator is non-parallelto the strut at the start of the raising process (which result in a resolved upward component being proportional to Tan(0), where 0 is the angle subtended between the pin-slot and the strut). As such, no additional upward force, such as a spring or “helping push” by the user, is required to begin the raising procedure. The maintenance of the non-zero angle is facilitated by the peripheral support frame and / or an underside of the raising roof comprising a track or sliding rail system within which the pivotally connected struts are at least partially nested when the raising roof is in the lowered position. Thus, the track or tracks provide an abutment, which prevents the struts from closing down to a parallel position. In one embodiment of the invention, a firstone of the pivotally connected struts has an upper end pivotally connected to the raising roof, and a lower end pivotally connected to the pinslot connection of the peripheral support frame. Meanwhile, a second one of the pivotally connected struts has a lower end pivotally connected to the peripheral support frame, and an upper end pivotally connected to a pin-slot connection of the raising roof. This configuration, namely having at least one pivotal-only connection where the struts connect to the raising roof, and to the peripheral support frame, ensures that movement of the raising roof parallel to the peripheral support frame is constrained. In another embodiment, the pivotally connected struts have an upper end pivotally connected to a pin-slot connection of the raising roof, and a lower end pivotally connected to a pin-slot connection of the peripheral support frame. This has the advantage of enabling the raising roof to move perpendicular to the roof of the vehicle. In a second embodiment in order to constrain the movement of the raising roof parallel to the peripheral support frame, a centraliser mechanism is suitably provided, which centralises the raising roof relative to the pin-slot connection of the raising roof. The centraliser suitably comprises a pulley loop in which the pivotal pin-slot connections of the raising roof are affixed to opposite sides of the pulley loop such that the movement of one pivotal pin-slot connection is constrained in an equal and opposite sense to the movement of the other pivotal pin-slot connection. The main advantage of the second embodiment is that it enables a pair of linear actuators to be used - each arranged substantially parallel to the peripheral support frame and being configured to drive the pivot of the pin-slot connections of the lower ends of the pivotally connected struts in opposite directions. Thus, a given amount of raising of the raising roof can be obtained by half the amount of displacement in each of the linear actuators. This means that the speed of operation of the raising roof can be increased fora given linear actuator speed. A further aspect of the invention provides a vehicle comprising the roof system as described herein. Embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a first type of lift mechanism suitable for use in conjunction with a roof system in accordance with the roof system; Figure 2 is a side view of a mechanism incorporating the principle of Figure 1 in a lowered position; Figure 3 is a side view of the mechanism of Figure 2 in a partially raised position; Figure 4 is an end view of the mechanism of Figure 2 in the partially raised position; Figure 5 is a perspective underside view of the mechanism of Figure 2 in the partially raised position; Figure 6 is a schematic side view of a second type of lift mechanism suitable for use in conjunction with a roof system in accordance with the roof system; Figure 7 is a schematic side view of the lift mechanism of Figure 6 further incorporating a centraliser mechanism; Figure 8 is a side view of a mechanism incorporating the principle of Figure 7 in a lowered position; Figure 9 is a side view of the mechanism of Figure 7 in a partially raised position; Figure 10 is a perspective underside view of the mechanism of Figure 7 in the partially raised position; Figure 11 is a partial side view of a vehicle fitted with raising roof system in accordance with the invention with the roof in a raised position; Figure 12 is a partial side view of the vehicle of Figure 11 with the roof in a semi-raised position; Figure 13 is a schematic end / cross-sectional view of the vehicle of Figure 11; and Figure 14 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle fitted with a raising roof system in accordance with the invention, albeit with an openable canvas. In Figure 1 of the drawings, a lift mechanism 10, which is suitable for incorporation into a roof system in accordance with the invention, is shown. The lift mechanism 10 comprises a pair of pivotally interconnected struts 12,14 which are arranged to pivot relative to one another about a centre pin 16. One of the struts 12 is pivotally connected 18 at its lower end to a peripheral support frame (not shown for clarity), whereas the other strut 14 has a pin slot connection 20 to the peripheral support frame. A linear actuator (not shown) is provided, which imparts a substantially horizontal force 22 onto the pin-slot connection 20, which drives the pin slot connection 20 towards the pivotal connection 18. The struts 12,14 thus pivot about the pivot point 16 and so the lift mechanism essentially “scissors” upwards. The upper ends of the struts 12,14 are connected to a pin-slot 24 and pivotal 26 connection, to a roof (not shown for clarity), which moves in the direction generally indicated by arrow 28 when the force 22 is applied. It will be noted that the direction of arrow 28 is not perpendicular to the force direction 22, which means that the roof (not shown) moves both up and forwards (or backwards) as the force 22 is applied. Figure 2 to 5 of the drawings show how the mechanism can be constructed in practice. A vehicle 100 has roof 102 into which a generally rectangular aperture 104 is cut. A peripheral support frame 106 is sealingly affixed to a perimeter of the aperture 104. A lower track 110 is affixed to the peripheral support frame 106, which as a pin aperture for receiving the aforementioned pin 18 at one end, and a slotted aperture 112 forming the slot of the pin-slot connection 20 previously described. The pin 114 of the pin-slot connection 20 engages a clevis 116, which in-turn is connected to a linear actuator 118. The linear actuator 118 can thus drive the pin 114 of the pin-slot connection 20 along the slotted aperture 112 in either direction. The lowertrack 110 is formed as an upwardly-open channel, within which the struts 12,14 are at least partially accommodated. An underside of a raising roof 122 of the vehicle 100 carries an opposing track 124, which has a pin aperture atone end for receiving pin 26, and a slotted aperture 126 for receiving pin 128. As can be seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, when the linear actuator 118 drives the pin 114 of the pin-slot connection 20 along the slotted aperture 112, the raising roof 122 moves from the lowered position towards the raised position, and vice versa. Figure 6 shows a slightly different embodiment of the lift mechanism 10 shown in Figure 1 of the drawings since, in this case, both of the lower ends of the struts 12,14 are connected via pin-slot 20, 202 connections to the peripheral support frame (not shown). In this example, a pair of opposing linear actuators are provided, which each apply a substantially horizontal force 22, 222 to respective pin-slot connections 20, 202, and this likewise causes the struts 12,14 to “scissor” about the pivot point 16 thereby raising the roof 28 as previously described. In this case, however, because there are two linear actuators operating in tandem, the amount of extension of each linear actuators to obtain a desired amount of lifting of the roof is reduced; and, fora given amount of time driving each of the actuator, the roof can be raised twice as far (in theory). Again, however the angle at which the roof raises 28 is not perpendicular to the peripheral support frame. The position of the mechanism 10 relative to the vehicle 100, in practice, will be selected so as to balance the weight of the roof panel 122 as well as the cover 152 tension so as to create a stable configuration. The illustrated position of the mechanism 10 is thus not limiting. In some cases, therefore, the mechanism 10 may be located halfway along the length of the roof. A third embodiment of the lift mechanism 10 is shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, which has two sets of slots 30, 32 formed in the peripheral support frame and a structure of the roof, respectively. The struts 12,14 are likewise arranged to pivot about a substantially central pivot pin 16, and both lower ends of the stuts are engaged with the slot 30 by respective pin-slot connections 20, 202. Again, opposing linear actuators are used to provide the inward forces 22, 222 so as to cause the struts 12,14 to “scissor” about the pivot pin 16 as the forces 22, 222 are applied. In this case, however, both of the upper ends of the struts 12,14 are connected to slots via respective pins 34,36 thereby creating a pair of pin-slot connections to the roof. Now, when the forces 22, 222 are applied, the direction of travel of the roof is vertical, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the peripheral support frame, which is preferred from a tensioning of the canvas perspective. Nevertheless, because both of the upper connections 34, 36 are pin-slot connections, there would be a tendency for the slot 32 , and hence the roof panel 122 to move left or right relative to the pins 34, 36 if left “floating”. In order to centralise the slot 32 , and hence the roof panel relative to the struts 12,14, a pulley centraliser mechanism 40 is provided. The pulley mechanism 40 comprises a wire or belt 42 arranged around pulley wheels 44 located either side of the slot 32. The pins 34, 36 of the pin-slot connection are connected to opposite “sides” of the wire loop 42 meaning that movement 46 of pin 36 relative to slot 32 results in an equal and opposite movement 48 of the opposing pin 34 relative to the slot 32. This ensures that as the forces 22,222 are applied, the roof moves up 28 vertically, and that the slot 32 remains centralised relative to the struts 12,14. Referring now to Figures 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings, it can be seen that the roof system 100 is fitted into an aperture formed in the roof 102 of a vehicle 100. A cranked beam 104 forms a peripheral support frame upon which a slotted track 110 sits. A raising roof 122 overlies the aperture in the roof 102 and various seals (not shown for clarity) are provided to provide weather tightness. The underside of the roof is fitted with a further slotted track 124 and a pulley mechanism 40 as provided as previously described. The mechanism is shown in a lowered position in Figure 8 and a raised position in Figures 9 and 10. As can be seen, a pair of opposing linear actuators 118,1188 are provided, that act via respective clevises 116, 1166 upon the pins 114 and 18 respectively of the lift mechanism 10. The upper ends of the struts 12,14 have pins 128, 26 that slide in a slotted aperture 32 formed in the upper track 124 affixed to the underside of the raising roof 122. Each of the pins 128, 26 are connected to opposing sides of the pulley belt 42, which is a continuous loop around a pair of pulley wheels 44 located to either side of the upper track 124. Thus, as the linear actuators 118, 1188 are driven, the raising roof 122 remains centralised relative to the aperture 104 in the roof 102 of the vehicle 100. Not shown in Figures 1 to 10 for clarity is a “canvas” that extends between an underside of the raising rood 122 and the peripheral support frame 106. Referring now to Figures 11,12 and 13 of the drawings, a vehicle 100 fitted with a roof system 10 in accordance with the invention is shown. The vehicle 100 has a generally rectangular aperture 104 cut into its roof 102, into which the peripheral support frame 106 is affixed. The peripheral support frame 106 carries the tracks 110,124, struts 12,14, and linear actuators 118 as previously described, atop which sits the raising roof 122 itself. Driving of the actuators 118 causes the raising roof 112 to raise / lower, depending on the direction of motion, also as previously described. Depending on requirements, the elevation of the roof panel 132 may be factory set, e.g. -400mm for internal headroom only; or - 800mm if a high-level bed needs to be fitted within the vehicle. This is a matter of design choice and user case. A wind deflector 150 is also provided slightly forward of the leading edge of the roof panel 122 so as to deflect wind and / or rain up and over the front edge thereof whilst the vehicle is driving and the roof panel 122 is down. This helps to keep the canvas 152 dry, as well as reducing aerodynamic liftingforces on the roof panel 122 whilst the vehicle 100 is in motion. Located inwardly of the struts 12, 14, there is provided a generally rectangular tube forming a canvas 152 whose upper open end is sealingly affixed to the underside of the raising roof 122, and whose lower open end is sealing affixed to the peripheral support frame. A window 154, insect screen or similar is typically provided in the canvas 152 so as to provide natural illumination and / or ventilation for the interiorof the vehicle 100 when the raising roof 122 is in the raised position. Various window configurations are known and possible, which do not require detailed explanation herein. Halfway up the canvas 152, there is provided a peripheral pocket 156, which is formed, preferably, on the inner side wall of the canvas 152 itself. The peripheral pocket 156 accommodates an elasticated cord 157, which imparts a radially inward force around the canvas 152 when the raising roof 122 is in the raised position. It will be noted that the vertical position of the peripheral pocket 156 is half-way 158 between the raising roof 122 and the vehicle roof 102. In the illustrated example, the pocket 156 is shown “cutting through” any “window” feature 154 that may be present in the canvas 152. However, in other embodiments the “window” edge suitably lies above or below the pocket 156. As can be seen by looking at Figures 12 and 13, when the raising roof 122 is being raised or lowered, the elasticated cord 157 imparts a radially inward force around the vertical midline of the canvas 152, causing any bagginess of the canvas 152 as a result of it being de-tensioned to be gathered radially inwardly, under the raising roof 122 and clear of the struts 12,14 and other parts of the raising roof mechanism 10. This automatic gathering functionality of the canvas 152 is an important feature because as the raising roof 122 is motorised, needing a user to manually ensure folding / pleating / gathering of the canvas 152 as the raising roof 122 is lowered is both inconvenient, and also potentially risky since the various parts off the roof system 10 are in motion during the raising / lowering procedure. In certain embodiments, the canvas 152 may be connected to the roof panel 122 and or support frame 106 via a detachable connection, such as a zip or hook-and-loop fastener. Draw strings may be provided to enable the lower edge or edge of the canvas to be raised for illustration purposes. Not shown for clarity is one or more microswitches that detect when the raising roof 122 is in the fully-raised or fully lowered positions. The microswitches are used to stop the linear actuators when the raising roof 122 reaches the fully-raised or fully lowered positions. This means that a user can simply press an “up” or “down” button of a controller to initiate the raising / lowering of the raising roof 122, which starts the linear actuators 118 moving in the appropriate direction, knowing that no further user intervention is required to avoid motor burnout or electrical overload if the linear actuators 118 were not switched off when the raising roof 122 reaches the fully-raised or fully lowered positions. Some sort of safety interlock is preferably provided, to prevent and / or inhibit entrapment risks, inadvertent use of the controls and so on. For example, a momentary switch may be provided, which requires a user to hold down the button during raising or lowering of the roof 122, such that if there is a hazard, or the user becomes incapacitated, removal of the button press stops any further movement of the linear actuators 118. Other safety features are easily envisaged, such as contact sensors near to potential pinch points, body / movement sensors within the vehicle 100 that prevent operation of the linear actuators 118 when somebody is inside the vehicle 100, etc.. In Figures 11,12 and 13, it can be seen that a “passive scissor” mechanism 160 is also provided across the rear end of the vehicle 100. The passive scissor mechanism 160 comprises a pair of pivotally 166 interconnected struts, which are connected to the peripheral support frame 106 via pivotal 162 and pin-slot 164 connections. In certain configurations, those struts need not be pivotally interconnected, or there may be a pair of struts whose upper ends are pivotally connected to an underside of the raising roof, and whose lower ends are able to splay-out, for example, in a track affixed to the peripheral support frame, or vice-versa. Unlike the aforedescribed lift mechanism, the passive scissor mechanism 160 does not have any linear actuators, although there is no reason why it could not have. The main purpose of the passive scissor mechanism 160 is to stabilise the raising roof 122 against undesirable lateral movement 168, racking or tilting when in the raised position. By cross-bracingthe roof 122 in such a way, in combination with the tension in the canvas 152, the rigidity of the roof is considerably improved, which is particularly beneficial in adverse weather conditions. Finally, Figure 14 of the drawings shows an alternative configuration for the canvas 152, which has the pocket 156 previously described for the internal elasticated cord 157. However, in this example, part of the lower edge 153 of the canvas 152 is connected to the peripheral support frame via a releasable connector 170, such as a zip, hook-and-loop or other suitable means. This enables the lower edge 153 of the canvas 152 to be connected to the peripheral support frame broadly as shown in previous figures, or released as shown in Figure 14. In Figure 14, only one of the front corners of the canvas 152 has been released, although any number of corners, or parts of the lower edge 152 of the canvas 152 could be released, according to the design of the canvas 152 and / or user preferences. A drawstring 172 is provided to hoisting the free edge 153 upwardly towards the underside of the roof panel 122, and the drawstring 172 can be secure so as to provide a light-ventilation opening for the raising roof. The drawstring could, in certain embodiments, be replaced by a hold-up fastener, such as a loop of hook-and-loop fastener so as to hold the edge 152 fully up, but a drawstring 172 arrangement may be preferable where the amount / extent of opening is desired to be user-adjustable. The invention is not restricted to specific details of the foregoing embodiments, which are merely illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A roof system for a vehicle comprising:a peripheral support frame adapted, in use, to affix to a perimeter of an aperture cut into a roof of the vehicle;a raising roof moveable between: a lowered position in which it overlies the peripheral support frame to close the aperture in the vehicle’s roof; and a raised position in which it is displaced from the peripheral support frame away from the vehicle; anda lift mechanism interposed between the peripheral support frame and the raising roof wherein,the lift mechanism comprises:on opposite edges of the raising roof, a pair of pivotally connected struts whose upper ends are articulatedly connected to an underside of the raising roof, and whose lower ends are articulatedly connected to the peripheral support frame, at least one of the lower strut ends having a pin-slot type connection to the peripheral support frame, such that relative movement of the struts about their respective pivots moves the raising roof between the said lowered and raised position orvice-versa; anda linearactuatorarranged substantially parallelto the peripheralsupportframeand being configured to drive the pivot of the pin-slot connection substantially parallelto the support frame, characterised in that,when the raising roof is in the lowered position, an angle subtended between the pin-slot-connected strut and the peripheral support frame, and hence the direction of travel of the linear actuator is non-zero.

2. The roof system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral support frame and an underside of the raising roof comprises a track system within which the pivotally connected struts are at least partially nested when the raising roof is in the lowered position.

3. The roof system of claim 1 of claim 2, wherein a first one of the pivotally connected struts has an upper end pivotally connected to the raising roof, and a lower end pivotally connected to the pin-slot connection of the peripheral support frame, and wherein a second one of the pivotally connected struts has a lower end pivotally connected to the peripheral support frame, and an upper end pivotally connected to a pin-slot connection of the raising roof.

4. The roof system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the pivotally connected struts have an upper end pivotally connected to a pin-slot connection of the raising roof, and a lower end pivotally connected to a pin-slot connection ofthe peripheral support frame.

5. The roof system of claim 4, comprising a pair of linear actuators each arranged substantially parallel to the peripheral support frame and being configured to drive the pivot of the pin-slot connections of the lower ends of the pivotally connected struts in opposite directions.

6. The roof system of claim 5, further comprising a centraliser mechanism which centralises the raising roof relative to the pin-slot connection ofthe raising roof.

7. The roof system of claim 6, wherein the centraliser comprises a pulley loop in which the pivotal pin-slot connections of the raising roof are affixed to opposite sides of the pulley loop such that the movement of one pivotal pin-slot connection is constrained in an equal and opposite sense to the movement of the other pivotal pin-slot connection.

8. A vehicle comprising the roof system of any preceding claim.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 comprising a generally rectangular tube formed from a flexible material having an upper open end sealingly affixed to the underside of the raising roof, and a lower open end sealing affixed to the peripheral support frame.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the generally rectangular tube is located radially inwardly of the struts.

11. The vehicle of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the generally rectangular tube further comprises a window and / or an insect screen.

12. The vehicle of any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the generally rectangular tube comprises a peripheral pocket located substantially half-way between the raising roof and the vehicle roof, the peripheral pocket accommodating an elasticated cord adapted, in use, to imparts a radially inward force around the generally rectangular tube.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the peripheral pocket located on an inner sidewall of the generally rectangular tube.

14. The vehicle of any of claims 8 to 13, comprisingoneor more microswitches adapted, in use, to detect when the raising roof is in the fully-raised or fully lowered positions, the microswitches being wired so as to stop the linear actuators when the raising roof reaches the said fully-raised or fully lowered positions.

15. The vehicle of any of claims 8 to 14, comprising a controllerfor initiating and / or controlling the operation of the linear actuators and hence the raising / loweringof the raising roof16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the controller comprises a safety interlock to prevent and / or inhibit entrapment risks, and / or inadvertent / malicious use of the controls.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the safety interlock comprises any one or more of the group comprising: a momentary control switch; a contact sensor near to potential pinch points; and a body / movement sensor located within the vehicle.

18. The vehicle of any of claims 8 to 17, further comprising a passive scissor arranged substantially transverse to the stuts, the passive scissor mechanism comprising a pair of pivotally interconnected struts, which are connected to the peripheral support frame via pivotal and pin-slot connections, the passive scissor being configured, in use, to stabilise the raising roof against undesirable lateral movement, racking or tilting when in the raised position.

19. The vehicle of any of claims 9 to 18, wherein at least part of an upper or lower edge of the rectangular tube formed from a flexible material is detachably connected to an underside of the raising roof and / or the peripheral support frame, respectively, and means is provided to urge and / or secure the upper edge of the rectangulartubeformed from a flexible material towards or to the peripheral support frame; and / or to urge and / or secure the lower edge of the rectangular tube formed from a flexible material towards or to the underside of the raising roof.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the means to urge and / or secure comprises a drawstring.

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