Sunroof frame

Abstract

To provide a sunroof frame capable of preventing water that has entered the roof from adhering to a drive cable. [Solution] A sunroof frame 1 supports a movable panel 11 for opening and closing an opening 5 formed in a roof 2 of a vehicle 1. The sunroof frame 1 is arranged along the left and right edges of the opening 5 and includes a pair of side members 41, each having a first cable guide 41a that guides a drive cable 31 connected to the movable panel 11, a cross member 42 that extends in the left-right direction to connect the pair of side members 41 to each other and has a second cable guide 42a that guides the drive cable 31, and a connecting member 45 that connects the first cable guide 41a and the second cable guide 42a and has an intermediate cable guide 46 that guides the drive cable 31. The intermediate cable guide 46 is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes an open portion 51 that has an opening on its outer circumferential surface and a closed portion 52 that does not have an opening on its outer circumferential surface.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sunroof frame that supports a movable panel for opening and closing an opening formed in a vehicle roof. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a sunroof device that opens and closes an opening in a vehicle roof by moving a movable panel movably supported on a sunroof frame back and forth. For example, in the sunroof device described in Patent Document 1, a cover (movable panel) moves on guide rails on the side of the frame that extend back and forth along the left and right edges of the opening. The cover is attached to the guide rails via a slide unit. A drive cable is connected to the slide unit. A drive motor moves the slide unit via the drive cable, causing the cover to move back and forth. To move the drive cable along a predetermined path, the sunroof frame is provided with a cable guide that guides the drive cable. The cable guides are provided on the front frame, the side frame, and a frame guide unit that connects the front frame and the side frame. The front frame and the frame guide unit are made of resin, and the outer surfaces of these cable guides have multiple openings along the direction in which the cable guides extend. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 10,899,204 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the sunroof device described in Patent Document 1, if water seeps into the roof through the gap between the roof opening edge and the cover, the water will seep into the cable guide through the numerous openings in the cable guide and adhere to the drive cable, which may then travel down the cable and wet the drive source or leak into the vehicle interior.

[0005] In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a sunroof frame that can prevent water that has entered the roof from adhering to a drive cable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve such problems, one aspect of the present invention is a sunroof frame (13) that supports a movable panel (11) for opening and closing an opening (5) formed in a roof (2) of a vehicle (1), and includes: a pair of side members (41) that are arranged along the left and right edges of the opening and each have a first cable guide (41a) that guides a drive cable (31) connected to the movable panel; a cross member (42) that extends in the left-right direction to connect the pair of side members to each other and has a second cable guide (42a) that guides the drive cable; and a connecting member (45) that connects the first cable guide and the second cable guide and has an intermediate cable guide (46) that guides the drive cable, and the intermediate cable guide is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes an open portion (51) that has openings (51a, 51b) on its outer circumferential surface and a closed portion (52) that does not have an opening on its outer circumferential surface.

[0007] According to this aspect, since the closing portion does not have an opening, water is prevented from entering the interior from the outer periphery of the closing portion, and water that has entered the roof can be prevented from adhering to the drive cable.

[0008] In the above aspect, the intermediate cable guide may have a waterproof wall portion (52b) extending radially outward from the outer circumferential surface on the open portion side of the closed portion.

[0009] According to this aspect, the waterproof wall portion prevents water from seeping from the outer peripheral surface of the closed portion to the outer peripheral surface of the open portion. This prevents water from seeping from the outside of the open portion to the inside. Therefore, water that has seeped into the roof can be more reliably prevented from adhering to the drive cable.

[0010] In addition, in the above aspect, the closing portion may be arranged in a wet zone (61) where water can drip when the movable panel is in a closed position that closes the opening, and the opening portion may be arranged in a dry zone (62) other than the wet zone.

[0011] According to this aspect, it is possible to more reliably prevent water that has entered the roof and dripped into the wet zone from adhering to the drive cable.

[0012] In the above aspect, the inner peripheral surface of the closed portion of the intermediate cable guide may be tapered so that the diameter thereof increases toward the side opposite the open portion in the axial direction.

[0013] According to this aspect, the closure part made of resin can be easily manufactured using a mold having a conical pin for forming the inner peripheral surface of the closure part, thereby facilitating the manufacturing of the closure part using a mold.

[0014] In the above aspect, the closing portion of the intermediate cable guide may be connected to the second cable guide, and the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate cable guide may be formed so as not to create a step between the inner peripheral surface of the second cable guide and the closing portion of the intermediate cable guide.

[0015] According to this aspect, the drive cable can be moved smoothly between the intermediate cable guide and the second cable guide.

[0016] In the above aspect, the second cable guide may have, at an end to which the intermediate cable guide is connected, a tapered tubular portion (42b) whose diameter increases toward the intermediate cable guide.

[0017] According to this aspect, the tapered tubular portion can be easily manufactured using a mold having a conical pin for forming the tapered tubular portion, which makes it easy to manufacture the end portion of the second cable guide.

[0018] In the above aspect, the open portion of the intermediate cable guide preferably includes a first opening (51a) provided on a side in a first direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the intermediate cable guide, and a second opening (51b) provided on a side in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the first openings and the second openings are arranged alternately in the axial direction.

[0019] According to this aspect, the open portion made of resin can be easily manufactured using a mold.

[0020] In the above aspect, it is preferable that a cover portion (52a) that covers the end of the second cable guide from above is provided at the end of the closing portion opposite the opening portion.

[0021] According to this aspect, the connection portion between the intermediate cable guide and the second cable guide is covered by the cover portion, which prevents water from entering through the connection portion and adhering to the drive cable, and also makes it easier to properly connect the intermediate cable guide and the second cable guide.

[0022] In the above aspect, an engaging portion (51c) that engages with the outer circumferential surface of the first cable guide may be provided at an end of the open portion opposite the closed portion.

[0023] According to this aspect, the engaging portion makes it easy to properly connect the intermediate cable guide and the second cable guide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sunroof frame that can prevent water that has entered the roof from adhering to the drive cable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view of a roof of a vehicle according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main portion of a movable panel and a sunroof frame when the movable panel closes the opening. [Figure 3] A perspective view of a connecting member [Figure 4] A perspective view of a connecting member [Figure 5] A perspective view of a connecting member DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. A vehicle 1 of the embodiment is equipped with a sunroof device 3 on a roof 2. In the drawings and the following description, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are determined based on the direction of travel of the vehicle 1.

[0027] 1 is a schematic plan view of a roof 2 of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. A rectangular opening 5 is formed in the roof 2 of the vehicle 1. The sunroof device 3 includes a movable panel 11 that moves back and forth to open and close the opening 5, a drive device 12 that drives the movable panel 11, and a sunroof frame 13 that movably supports the movable panel 11.

[0028] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of the movable panel 11 and the sunroof frame 13 when the movable panel 11 closes the opening 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable panel 11 has a movable panel main body 21 made of a glass plate and having a generally rectangular shape with rounded corners (see FIG. 1), a ring-shaped roof molding 22 made of resin provided on the outer periphery of the movable panel main body 21, and a roof seal 23 made of an elastic material provided on the outer periphery of the roof molding 22. The roof molding 22 has a lip 22a extending downward below the roof seal 23. The roof seal 23 abuts against the edge of the opening 5. A flange 5a hanging downward is formed at the edge of the opening 5 of the roof 2.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 1, panel brackets 25 extending in the front-to-rear direction are attached to the underside of each of the left and right side portions of the movable panel 11. Each panel bracket 25 is coupled to a corresponding front slider 26 and rear slider 27. The front slider 26 and rear slider 27 are slidably supported on the sunroof frame 13 (side members 41). Therefore, the movable panel 11 is slidably supported on the sunroof frame 13 via the panel brackets 25, front slider 26, and rear slider 27. The sunroof device 3 is also provided with a known tilting mechanism, such as a link mechanism or a cam mechanism, that tilts (tilts up or down) the movable panel 11.

[0030] The drive device 12 includes left and right drive cables 31 connected to the left and right rear sliders 27, drive gears 32 meshing with the left and right drive cables 31, and an electric motor 33 connected to the drive gears 32 via a reduction mechanism. A spirally wound wire (not shown) is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the drive cable 31. This wire forms a driven gear meshing with the drive gear 32. When the drive gear 32 rotates due to the driving force of the electric motor 33, the drive cable 31 moves together with the rear slider 27 and the movable panel 11. A rack belt may be used as the drive cable 31. The drive cable 31 is preferably made of steel.

[0031] The sunroof frame 13 is attached under the roof 2. The sunroof frame 13 is arranged along the left and right edges of the opening 5 and includes a pair of side members 41 extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a front cross member 42 (cross member) extending in the left-to-right direction and connecting the front ends of the pair of side members 41 to each other. The sunroof frame 13 may also include a middle cross member 43 extending in the left-to-right direction and connecting the middle portions of the pair of side members 41 to each other in the front-to-rear direction. The pair of side members 41 may be extrusion-molded products made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The front cross member 42 may be an injection-molded product made of resin. The middle cross member 43 may be a press-molded product made of steel plate, an injection-molded product made of resin, or the like.

[0032] Each of the pair of side members 41 includes a first cable guide 41a (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2) that guides the drive cable 31 and extends in the front-to-rear direction, and a guide rail 41b that guides the front slider 26 and the rear slider 27 and extends in the front-to-rear direction. Each of the pair of side members 41 may include a drain groove (not shown in FIG. 1) that extends in the front-to-rear direction. The front and rear ends of the drain groove are connected to drain pipes 41c that protrude outside the vehicle. Water that has seeped into the roof 2 (under the roof 2) through the gap between the edge of the opening 5 in the roof 2 and the movable panel 11 on both the left and right sides of the movable panel 11 drips into the drain groove and is discharged outside the vehicle through the drain pipes 41c.

[0033] The front cross member 42 extends laterally and includes a second cable guide 42a (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 2) that guides the drive cable 31. The front cross member 42 has the drive gear 32 and the electric motor 33 attached thereto.

[0034] The pair of side members 41 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right. The right side member 41 is connected to the front cross member 42 in the same manner as the left side member 41. The structure between the first cable guide 41a of the right side member 41 and the second cable guide 42a of the front cross member 42 will be described below.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, the sunroof frame 13 includes a pair of connecting members 45 (see FIG. 1) connected between each of a pair of side members 41 and the front cross member 42. Each connecting member 45 includes an intermediate cable guide 46. The intermediate cable guide 46 connects the first cable guide 41a and the second cable guide 42a and guides the drive cable 31. The connecting member 45 is an injection-molded product made of resin. Note that in FIG. 2, the drive cable 31 is simply shown by an imaginary line, but the spiral wire is wound around the outer periphery of the drive cable 31, and the diameter of the drive cable 31 is larger than the width of the imaginary line.

[0036] The first cable guide 41a is formed in a tubular shape, and the drive cable 31 is inserted therethrough. A guide groove 41d that is open to the front and rear sides and extends in the front-rear direction may be provided below the first cable guide 41a. A hole 41e may be provided in the wall surface below the guide groove 41d.

[0037] The second cable guide 42a is formed in a tubular shape, and the drive cable 31 is inserted therethrough. The second cable guide 42a has, at its rear end where the intermediate cable guide 46 is connected, a tapered tubular portion 42b that expands in diameter toward the intermediate cable guide 46, and a waterproof wall 42c that protrudes upward from the front end of the tapered tubular portion 42b. The second cable guide 42a also has a drainage wall 42d that extends from the lower part of the rear end to below the first cable guide 41a. The drainage wall 42d is curved downward, and water that accumulates on the drainage wall 42d flows into the drain pipe 41c and is then discharged from the drain pipe 41c to the outside of the vehicle.

[0038] The tapered tubular portion 42b formed at the rear end of the second cable guide 42a can be easily manufactured using a mold having a conical pin for forming the tapered tubular portion 42b. Therefore, the tapered tubular portion 42b makes it easy to manufacture the rear end of the second cable guide 42a.

[0039] 3 to 5 are perspective views of the right-side connecting member 45. The left-side connecting member 45 is formed symmetrically to the right-side connecting member 45. The right-side connecting member 45 will be described below. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the connecting member 45 may include a side wall 47 whose surfaces face left and right on the side of the intermediate cable guide 46, an extension 47a extending forward from the front end of the side wall 47, and a mounting plate 48 that extends to the right from the extension 47a and faces up and down. The side wall 47 may have an edge wall 47b extending rightward from its front edge. The side wall 47 reinforces the intermediate cable guide 46. The mounting plate 48 has a through-hole 48a that penetrates vertically in its center, and is attached to the front cross member 42 with screws (not shown).

[0040] The intermediate cable guide 46 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The drive cable 31 is inserted inside the intermediate cable guide 46 (see FIG. 2). The intermediate cable guide 46 has an open section 51 with an opening on its outer circumferential surface and a closed section 52 with no opening on its outer circumferential surface. The open section 51 has an opening on a portion of the outer circumferential surface in the circumferential direction, while the closed section 52 has no opening over the entire outer circumferential surface, and has a closed cross-sectional shape (annular cross-sectional shape).

[0041] The open portion 51 has two first openings 51a provided on the upper side (a first direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the intermediate cable guide 46) and three second openings 51b provided on the lower side (a second direction opposite to the first direction). As shown in Fig. 2, the first openings 51a and the second openings 51b are arranged alternately in the axial direction. This makes it easy to manufacture the open portion 51 made of resin using a mold.

[0042] The open portion 51 is connected to the first cable guide 41a at its rear side. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the rear end of the open portion 51 (the end opposite the closed portion 52) is provided with an engagement portion 51c that engages with the outer circumferential surface of the first cable guide 41a, and engagement portions 51d, 51e, and 51f that engage with the lower portion of the first cable guide 41a. The engagement portion 51c protrudes rearward from the upper end of the open portion 51 and engages with the upper side of the outer circumferential surface of the first cable guide 41a (see FIG. 2). The engagement portions 51d, 51e, and 51f protrude rearward from below the rear end of the open portion 51. The engagement portions 51d and 51e are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The lower surface of the engagement portion 51d engages with the upper wall of the guide groove 41d. The engagement portion 51e is fitted into the guide groove 41d provided in the lower portion of the first cable guide 41a (see FIG. 2). The engaging portion 51f has a tab 51g that protrudes upward from its rear end. As shown in FIG. 2, the engaging portion 51f is inserted between the underside of the first cable guide 41a and the drainage wall 42d of the second cable guide 42a. The tab 51g is engaged with the hole 41e. The engaging portions 51c, 51d, 51e, and 51f each facilitate proper connection between the intermediate cable guide 46 and the second cable guide 42a.

[0043] The front end of the closed portion 52 is connected to the second cable guide 42a. A cover portion 52a is provided at the front end of the closed portion 52 (the end opposite the open portion 51) to cover the end (tapered tubular portion 42b) of the second cable guide 42a from above. This facilitates appropriate connection between the intermediate cable guide 46 and the second cable guide 42a. The closed portion 52 also has a waterproof wall portion 52b at its rear side (the open portion 51 side) that extends radially outward from the outer circumferential surface.

[0044] The inner peripheral surface of the closing portion 52 is formed in a tapered shape that expands in diameter toward the front side (the side opposite the open portion 51 in the axial direction). This allows the closing portion 52, which is made of resin, to be easily manufactured using a mold having a conical pin for forming the inner peripheral surface of the closing portion 52. Therefore, it is easy to manufacture the closing portion 52 using a mold.

[0045] The front end of the closure portion 52 is connected to the tapered tubular portion 42b of the second cable guide 42a. The inner circumferential surface of the closure portion 52 (the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate cable guide 46) is formed so that there is no step between it and the inner circumferential surface of the tapered tubular portion 42b (the inner circumferential surface of the second cable guide 42a). This allows the drive cable 31 to move smoothly between the intermediate cable guide 46 and the second cable guide 42a.

[0046] Water, such as rainwater, may adhere to the movable panel 11. As shown in FIG. 2 , water adhering to the front side of the movable panel 11 seeps into the roof 2 through the gap between the edge of the opening 5 and the movable panel 11, and flows downward along the lip portion 22a of the movable panel 11 and the flange portion 5a of the opening 5 of the roof 2. Water dripping from the lip portion 22a and the flange portion 5a is received by the drain wall 42d and discharged to the outside of the vehicle through the drain pipe 41c. Thus, when the movable panel 11 is in the closed position that closes the opening 5, water that seeps into the roof 2 through the gap between the edge of the opening 5 and the movable panel 11 may drip from the lip portion 22a of the movable panel 11 and the tip of the flange portion 5a of the roof 2. The space between the lip portion 22a of the movable panel 11, the flange portion 5a of the roof 2, and the drain wall 42d forms a wet zone 61 into which water may drip when the movable panel 11 is in the closed position that closes the opening 5. The space other than the wet zone 61 is a dry zone 62 in which water penetration is suppressed.

[0047] The closed portion 52 is disposed in the wet zone 61. On the other hand, the open portion 51 is disposed in a dry zone 62 outside the wet zone 61. Because the closed portion 52 has no opening, water dripping into the wet zone 61 cannot penetrate into the interior from the outer periphery of the closed portion 52. In addition, because the open portion 51 is disposed in the dry zone 62, water is prevented from penetrating from the outside of the open portion 51 into the interior. Furthermore, the waterproof wall portion 52b on the open portion 51 side of the closed portion 52 prevents water from penetrating from the outer periphery of the closed portion 52 to the outer periphery of the open portion 51. This makes it possible to prevent water from penetrating into the interior from the outer periphery of the open portion 51. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent water that has penetrated into the roof 2 from adhering to the drive cable 31.

[0048] Furthermore, the first cable guide 41a and the second cable guide 42a are disposed in the dry zone 62. This prevents water from entering the first cable guide 41a and the second cable guide 42a and adhering to the drive cable 31. As described above, it is possible to prevent water that has entered the roof 2 through the gap between the edge of the opening 5 and the movable panel 11 from adhering to the drive cable 31.

[0049] The sunroof frame 13 has the above-described configuration, thereby achieving the following effects. The sunroof frame 13 includes an intermediate cable guide 46 including an open portion 51 having openings (first opening 51a, second opening 51b) on its outer peripheral surface, and a closed portion 52 having no openings on its outer peripheral surface. Since the closed portion 52 has no openings, water is prevented from entering the interior from the outer periphery of the closed portion 52. This makes it possible to prevent water that has entered the roof 2 from adhering to the drive cable 31.

[0050] The intermediate cable guide 46 has a waterproof wall portion 52b on the open portion 51 side of the closed portion 52. The waterproof wall portion 52b prevents water from penetrating from the outer peripheral surface of the closed portion 52 to the outer peripheral surface of the open portion 51. This prevents water from penetrating from the outside of the open portion 51 to the inside. Therefore, water that has entered the roof 2 can be more reliably prevented from adhering to the drive cable 31.

[0051] The closed portion 52 is arranged in the wet zone 61, and the open portion 51 is arranged in the dry zone 62. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent water that has entered the roof 2 from adhering to the drive cable 31.

[0052] A cover portion 52a that covers the tapered tubular portion 42b from above is provided at the end of the closed portion 52 opposite the open portion 51. This facilitates proper connection between the intermediate cable guide 46 and the second cable guide 42a. Furthermore, the cover portion 52a can prevent water from entering through the gap between the closed portion 52 and the second cable guide 42a and adhering to the drive cable 31.

[0053] Although the description of the specific embodiment has been completed, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely modified. For example, in the above embodiment, the open portion 51 is provided on the first cable guide 41a side and the closed portion 52 is provided on the second cable guide 42a side. The open portion 51 may be provided on the second cable guide 42a side and the closed portion 52 may be provided on the first cable guide 41a side. In addition, the specific configuration, arrangement, quantity, material, etc. of each member and part can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Meanwhile, not all of the components shown in the above embodiment are necessarily required and can be selected as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1: Vehicle 2: Roof 5:Aperture 11: Movable panel 13: Sunroof frame 31: Drive cable 41: Side member 41a: First cable guide 42: Front cross member (cross member) 42a: Second cable guide 42b: Tapered cylindrical portion 42c: waterproof wall 45: Connecting member 46: Intermediate cable guide 51:Open part 51a: 1st opening 51b: 2nd opening 51c: Engagement part 51d: Engagement part 51e: Engagement part 51f: Engagement part 52: Closed part 52a: Cover part 52b:Waterproof wall part 61: Wet Zone 62: Dry Zone

Claims

1. A sunroof frame supporting a movable panel for opening and closing an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, a pair of side members each including a first cable guide disposed along left and right edges of the opening and configured to guide a drive cable connected to the movable panel; a cross member extending in the left-right direction to connect the pair of side members to each other and including a second cable guide that guides the drive cable; a connecting member that connects the first cable guide and the second cable guide and that includes an intermediate cable guide that guides the drive cable, The intermediate cable guide is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes an open portion having an opening on its outer peripheral surface and a closed portion having no opening on its outer peripheral surface.

2. The sunroof frame according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate cable guide has a waterproof wall portion extending radially outward from an outer circumferential surface on the side of the closed portion facing the open portion.

3. the closing portion is disposed in a wet zone into which water may drip when the movable panel is in a closed position that closes the opening, The sunroof frame according to claim 1 , wherein the opening is disposed in a dry zone other than the wet zone.

4. 2. The sunroof frame according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the closed portion of the intermediate cable guide is formed in a tapered shape that increases in diameter toward a side opposite to the open portion in the axial direction.

5. 5. The sunroof frame according to claim 4, wherein the closing portion of the intermediate cable guide is connected to the second cable guide, and the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate cable guide is formed so as not to create a step between the inner peripheral surface of the second cable guide and the closing portion of the intermediate cable guide.

6. The sunroof frame according to claim 5, wherein the second cable guide has a tapered tubular portion at an end to which the intermediate cable guide is connected, the tapered tubular portion expanding in diameter toward the intermediate cable guide.

7. 2. The sunroof frame according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the intermediate cable guide includes a first opening provided on a side in a first direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the intermediate cable guide and a second opening provided on a side in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the first openings and the second openings are arranged alternately in the axial direction.

8. The sunroof frame according to claim 1, further comprising a cover portion provided at an end of the closing portion opposite to the opening portion, the cover portion covering the end of the second cable guide from above.

9. The sunroof frame according to claim 1, wherein an engaging portion that engages with an outer peripheral surface of the first cable guide is provided at an end of the open portion opposite to the closed portion.

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