Claims
- 1. A vehicle comprising a closing part (7) as well as a part (15, 42, 43) of the vehicle that co-operates therewith, which closing part is pivotally connected to said co-operating part by means of a hinge assembly (41), characterized in that the hinge assembly (41) includes an intermediate element (46), which is on the one hand pivotally connected to the closing part (7) via a first hinge (45) and which is on the other hand pivotally connected to the co-operating part (15, 42, 43) via a second hinge (47), which is spaced from the first hinge by some distance.
- 2. A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate element (46), the closing part (7) and the co-operating part (15, 42, 43) include first and second stops (51, 52) which define the maximum pivoting movement with respect to the closing part and the co-operating part.
- 3. A vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said stops (51, 52) are made up of first and second pin-slot joints, wherein the respective first and second slots (52) extend around the associated first and second hinges (51) in the form of a segment of a circle.
- 4. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing part (7) is a pivotable rear window or a vehicle, whereas the co-operating part (15) is a roof part.
- 5. A vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the roof part includes an open roof construction, in particular a folding roof (1).
- 6. A vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the folding roof (1) can be opened and closed by means of driving cables (17), whereas the folding roof is so arranged that it is positioned on the closing part (7) in the entirely open position, with the cables extending from the closing part (7), past the hinge assemblies (41), to the roof part.
- 7. A vehicle fitted with an open roof construction, which open roof construction includes a closure element (9, 10) and at least one guide rail (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) provided with a groove (44), in which at least one sliding shoe or slide (14, 19, 32) of the closure element is guided, which guide rail (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) is built up of a number of rail parts (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) joining each other in the longitudinal direction, which rail members can be connected to and disconnected from each other, characterized in that the grooves (44) in said parts (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) of the guide rail diverge slightly at the ends facing towards each other in the interconnected condition.
- 8. A vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the grooves (44) in said parts (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) of the guide rail diverge in transverse direction and in vertical direction at their ends facing towards each other.
- 9. A vehicle according to claim 7 or 8, wherein one part of the guide rail is present on a swing-down closing part (7) and the co-operating part of the guide rail is present on a roof part of the vehicle.
- 10. A vehicle comprising a movable closing part (2, 7, 43) as well as a part (15, 42) of the vehicle that co-operates therewith, which closing part (2, 7, 43) and which co-operating part (15, 42) can be disconnected from each other and be connected to each other again, said parts including a locking element (53) and a mating counter element (43, 54), characterized in that said locking element (53) includes a self-locating fitting means, which can mate with a counter element.
- 11. A vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the locking element (53) is a hook-shaped member, which can engage in a locking recess (54).
- 12. A vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the locking element (53) itself is a fitting means and wherein the locking recess (54) functions as a counter element.
- 13. A vehicle according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the locking element mates with a retaining mechanism, which retains the locking element in the locking recess as long as the locking element does not engage sufficiently far in the locking recess.
- 14. A vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the retaining mechanism includes a spring-loaded retaining element, which extends into the locking recess and which is provided with a nose which can engage in a locking recess in the locking element, wherein the retaining element, which is capable of sliding movement and pivoting movement about a traverse pin, extends obliquely in the direction of the opening of the locking recess in a starting position, in which position it lies in the path of the locking element, in such a manner that when the locking element engages in the locking recess, the retaining nose of the retaining element will first be pushed back slightly and then snap into the recess in the locking element under the influence of the action of the spring, after which the locking element is prevented from being pulled out again as a result of the locking nose hooking into the recess, and wherein the retaining element is moved about the traverse pin when the locking element is inserted further to a locked position in the locking recess, as a result of which the retaining nose will move out of the recess again and the retaining element will follow the locking element when the locking element moves out of the locking recess from the locked position as a result of the spring action and return to the starting position.
- 15. A vehicle according to claim 11 and 12, wherein both the hook-shaped element (53) and the locking recess (54) are tapered both in vertical direction and in transverse direction.
- 16. A vehicle according to any one of the claims 1015, wherein the counter element is present on a swing-down rear window frame (8) and the locking element (53) is present on detachable roof part, in particular side beams of the roof.
- 17. A vehicle according to any one of the claims 1016 being fitted with an open roof construction which is mounted on the co-operating part of the vehicle and which includes a closure element (9, 10) and at least one guide rail (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) provided with a groove (44), in which at least one sliding shoe or slide (14, 19, 32) of the closure element is guided, which guide rail (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) is built up of a number of rail parts (15, 40, 42, 43, 46) joining each other in the longitudinal direction, wherein at least one rail member is present on the closing part of the vehicle and at least one of the other rail members is present on the co-operating part, whereas grooves in the guide rail members diverge slightly at the ends facing towards each other in the interconnected condition.
- 18. A folding roof for a vehicle having a roof opening, comprising stationary guide rails (15) on either side of the roof opening, a flexible liner (9, 10), a drivable operating beam (13) on the opening side of said liner, which operating beam is guided in said guide rails for selectively opening and closing the roof opening, a number of folding elements (12, 22), which support said liner and which define a folding movement thereof upon opening of the folding roof, which folding elements are mounted on slides (14, 19) which are guided in said guide rails (15), characterized in that said slides (14, 19) are provided with locking elements (23) and in that the guide rails (15) are provided with counter elements (24) at such locations that the locking elements can come into engagement with the counter elements in an extreme closed position of the slides (19) in question, whereas the slides (14, 19) include unlocking elements (29) for unlocking the locking elements (23) of the next slide (19), seen in the opening direction, when the folding roof is being opened.
- 19. A folding roof according to claim 18, wherein the locking elements (23) consist of a movable locking member (26) provided with a projection (27), whereas the counter element (24) is a recess (28) in the guide rail (15), in which the projection can engage.
- 20. A folding roof according to claim 19, wherein the locking element (23) is an element which projects in the direction of the next slide (19), seen in the opening direction, which is capable of moving the movable locking member (26) of the locking element (23) for the purpose of moving the projection (27) out of the recess (28).
- 21. A folding roof according to claim 20, wherein the projecting part of the unlocking element (29) is provided with a pin which can come into engagement with a slot (30) formed on the moving locking member (26) of the locking element (23), which extends in a direction that deviates from the direction of movement of the pin.
- 22. A folding roof according to claim 21, wherein the locking element (23), in the position in which it has been moved out of the counter element (24), mates with the guide rail (15) to block the pin in the slot (30) so as interlock the adjacent slides (14, 19) into one unit.
- 23. A folding roof for a vehicle having a roof opening in its fixed roof, comprising stationary guide rails (15) on either side of the roof opening, a flexible liner (9, 10), a drivable operating beam (13) on the opening side of said liner, which operating beam is guided in said guide rails for selectively opening and closing the roof opening, a number of folding elements (12, 22), Which support said liner and which define a foldinq movement thereof upon opening of the folding roof, which folding elements are mounted on slides (14, 19) which are guided in said guide rails (15), as well as a as well as a cover plate (31) on the side of the liner (9, 10) remote from the opening side, which provides a seal against the fixed roof, wherein the slides (14, 19) and the cover plate (31) of the open roof construction are interlocked to form one unit in an entirely open position, after which they can be moved further as a unit, characterized in that said cover plate (31) is mounted on slides (32) capable of sliding movement in said guide rails (15), which each comprise a height adjusting mechanism (33) to be actuated by an adjacent rear slide (19) for moving the cover plate (31) upwards before further movement the aforesaid unit is possible.
- 24. A folding roof according to claim 23, wherein the height adjusting mechanism (33) includes pin-slot mechanisms (35, 36), and wherein each slide (32) preferably includes two pins (36) which engage in two slots (35) of the cover plate (31).
- 25. A folding roof according to claim 23 or 24, wherein each slide (32) of the cover plate (31) includes a coupling element for coupling the adjacent slide (19) to the cover plate in the entirely open position of the folding roof (1).
- 26. A vehicle comprising a swing-down rear closing part (2), which closing part includes a frame (8) with a rear window (7), wherein the frame (8) is supported by arms (55), which are pivotally connected to the vehicle, in such a manner that the closing part (2) is movable between a closed position at the location of the rear window (7) and a swung-down position in the vehicle, characterized in that the arms (55) each include two arm members (56, 59), which are movable relative to each other, and first and second locking means (64, 65), wherein the first locking means (64) lock the arm members (56, 59) in a position which corresponds with the closed position of the frame (8), whereas the second locking means (64, 65) lock the arm members (64, 65) in an intermediate position of the arm members (56, 59) and the frame which is different from the closed position, in which position the arms (55) and the frame (8) can be jointly pivoted to the swung-down position.
- 27. A vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the frame has an upper edge which includes tapered hinges (53, 54), which on the one hand lock the frame in the closed position, only allowing pivoting movement during the movement of the arm members (56, 59) from the closed position to the intermediate position, whereas on the other hand the hinges (53, 54) become disengaged when the arm members (56, 59), and thus the frame (8), are at least substantially in the aforesaid intermediate position.
- 28. A vehicle according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the first arm member (56) is pivotally connected to the vehicle, whereas the second arm member (59) is fixedly connected to the frame (8).
- 29. A vehicle according to claim 28, wherein the two arm members (56, 59) are interconnected by means of two pin-slot joints (60-63), the slots (62, 63) being formed in such a manner that they impose a defined relative sliding and pivoting movement on the arm members (56, 59) upon movement of the arm members between the closed position and the intermediate position.
- 30. A vehicle according to any one of the claims 26-29, wherein the first locking means (64) include a first locking pin (66) formed on one (59) of the arm member (56, 59) and a latch (67) formed on the other arm member (59), in which said first locking pin (66) can be retained.
- 31. A vehicle according to any one of the claims 2630, wherein the second locking means (65) are arranged for automatically locking the arm members (56, 59) with respect to each other upon reaching the intermediate position from the closed position.
- 32. A vehicle-according to claim 31, wherein the second locking means (65) include a locking plate (72) which is pivotally connected to one (56) of the arm members (56, 59) and which is spring-loaded in the direction of the locked position, in which locking plate a locking slot (73) comprising a locking portion (74) is present, as well as a second locking pin (75) formed on the other arm member (59), which is positioned in the locking portion (74) of the locking slot (73) in the aforesaid intermediate position.
- 33. A vehicle according to any one of the claims 2632, wherein one of said arm members (56, 59), in particular the first arm member (56), is supported by a gas spring, in such a manner that part of the weight of the rear window structure (2) is taken up.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
1016578 |
Nov 2000 |
NL |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/NL01/00814, filed Nov. 9, 2001 and published as WO 02/038407 on May 16, 2002, in English.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/NL01/00814 |
11/9/2001 |
WO |
|