The present invention relates to a motor vehicle which is readily reconfigurable from a station wagon configuration to a pickup truck configuration, with or without a rear window. This capability is facilitated by a rear window module which may be positioned either upon the tailgate of the vehicle or allowed to move translationally upon a sliding D-pillar roof structure.
Reconfigurable vehicles have been the subject of frequent design efforts by automotive engineers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,827 discloses a convertible car in which the top of the vehicle is lowered into the bed of the vehicle, allowing a hinged tailgate borne upon a sliding frame member to be moved to a position behind the front seat of the vehicle.
US Patent Publication 2002/0008396 discloses a motor vehicle with a convertible passenger compartment in which a sliding section having either a fixed backlite, or a backlite which is retractable solely into the tailgate of the vehicle is slidably moved under a fixed roof section of the vehicle. In both cases, the quarter window glazing panels must be removed manually. A problem with the system described in the '396 publication resides in the fact that the backlite is not available when the vehicle is reconfigured from a station wagon type of configuration to a pickup type of configuration. This means that the vehicle cannot be made weather tight and theft-resistant as a pickup truck; these are decided drawbacks for most vehicle buyers. A system according to the present invention solves the problems associated with these prior art configurations.
According to the present invention, an automotive vehicle body includes a plurality of passenger access doors, opposing quarter panels extending rearwardly from locations of at least two of the access doors, and a tailgate attached to the body adjacent to the trailing portions of the quarter panels. A repositionable D-pillar structure is slidingly engaged with the quarter panels and movable along an upper surface of each quarter panel from a first position adjacent the tailgate to a second position forward of the tailgate. A backlite is provided which has at least an open position in which the backlite is retracted within the tailgate, a closed position in which the backlite extends between the tailgate and the D-pillar structure, and a traveling position in which the backlite is released from the tailgate and is carried upon, and movable translationally with, the D-pillar structure.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of retractable quarter window glazing panels is provided, with each of the panels having a first position within a window opening in the D-pillar structure, and a second position within a mating one of the quarter panels at a location above a roadwheel. The quarter window glazing panels preferably comprise a plurality of generally horizontal glazing panels having a first position in which the panels are stacked vertically in one of the window openings, and a second position in which the panels are stored side-by-side within housings contained within the quarter panels.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the backlite carried upon the repositionable D-pillar structure may be sealingly engaged with a second row of seats or a bulkhead within the vehicle body when the D-pillar is in its second, or forward, position. In this manner, the passenger compartment may be rendered weather-tight and secure even when the vehicle's roof has been contracted by moving the repositionable D-pillar forward.
A repositionable D-pillar structure according to present invention may further include a slidable roof panel mounted within the D-pillar structure and slidable upon a first set of tracks formed in the D-pillar structure and a second set of tracks formed in a fixed roof panel. Alternatively, a slidable roof panel may be fixed to and mounted within the D-pillar structure and slidable upon a single set of tracks formed in a fixed roof panel. The D-pillar structure itself is preferably slidable upon a first set of tracks carried by the quarter panels and a second set of tracks carried by a fixed roof panel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the D-pillar roof structure, the backlite, and the retractable quarter window panels may each be motor driven, so as to allow automatic or semi-automatic operation of a system according to the present invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a sliding D-pillar roof structure in an automotive vehicle includes the steps of raising a backlite from a tailgate and into an immobilized or locked position within a sliding D-pillar roof structure, lowering a plurality of generally horizontal quarter window glazing panels from positions within the D-pillar roof structure and into stored positions within housings contained within opposing quarter panels at positions above roadwheels associated with the quarter panels, and sliding the D-pillar roof structure, incorporating the backlite, forwardly upon a first set of tracks carried by the quarter panels and a second set of tracks carried by a fixed roof panel.
It is an advantage of a system according to present invention that a weather-tight cabin may be provided for a reconfigurable vehicle in not only a station wagon configuration, but also a pickup configuration.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that not only a sliding panel roof portion may be moved out of the way of the pickup bed area of a reconfigurable vehicle, but also a sliding D-pillar to which the sliding roof panel is mounted may be moved out of the way, so as to allow loading of large items from positions over the wheel wells of the vehicle.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that the quarter window glazing configuration permits the glazing to be automatically dropped and stored within housings formed in the quarter panels above the wheels, notwithstanding the vertical height of the installed glazing panels.
Other advantages, features, and objects of the present invention will become apparent to the reader of this specification.
As shown in
As an alternative to sliding roof panel 80, a fixed panel may be mounted permanently within D-pillar roof structure 36. In either event, D-pillar roof structure 36 may slide forward only if backlite 44 is in a position which allows structure 36 to move. In this case, backlite 44 must either be fully retracted within tailgate 28 or raised and retained by portable backlite drive module 70, and therefore movable with D-pillar structure 36.
The position of motor driven backlite 44 is determined by portable backlite drive module 70, which is shown particularly in
As mentioned above, when backlite 44 is in a raised and locked, or immobilized, position as shown in
The rack and pinion arrangement illustrated in
As shown in the various figures, body 10 has quarter window glazing panels 50 and 52, which are dropped into the quarter panels 18 and 20 before D-pillar structure 36 moves forward from tailgate 28. As shown in
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a sliding D-pillar roof structure in an automotive vehicle includes the steps of raising backlite 44 from tailgate 28, by means of portable backlite drive module 70, into a retained position within D-pillar roof structure 36. Then, quarter window panels 50 and 52 will be lowered into quarter glazing panel housings 62 in each quarter panel and then D-pillar roof structure 36 will be moved upon tracks 84 attached to fixed roof panel 22 and tracks 82, attached to quarter panels 18 and 20, into a position behind second row of seats 38 such that backlite 44 will be sealingly engaged with second row of seats 38. In essence, second row of seats 38 functions as a bulkhead. As an alternative, a dedicated bulkhead not having any seating capability (not shown) may be installed. D-pillar roof structure 36 may be moved to the position shown in
Although the present invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that various modifications, alterations, and adaptations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3823977 | Fioravanti | Jul 1974 | A |
4005900 | Rauthmann et al. | Feb 1977 | A |
4712827 | Jensen | Dec 1987 | A |
5015028 | Bonnett | May 1991 | A |
5050663 | Rhoads et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
5633571 | Huyer | May 1997 | A |
5698907 | Weber | Dec 1997 | A |
6059340 | Thompson et al. | May 2000 | A |
6305740 | Staser et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6398291 | Reusswig et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6422636 | Mentink | Jul 2002 | B2 |
6547298 | Sotiroff et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6550849 | Dosdall | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6623064 | Schutt et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6729674 | Davis et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
6729684 | Arnold et al. | May 2004 | B2 |
7093870 | Kim et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
20020008396 | De Gaillard | Jan 2002 | A1 |
20020079718 | Neubrand | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20040007900 | Block | Jan 2004 | A1 |