Drive mechanism for a vehicle and method for moving panels for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035407-B2
Application number	US-201715420987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2017
Priority date	Feb 9, 2016
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A drive mechanism for vehicle movable panels having a first slide mechanism having a rod and a sled with a tilt lever, the rod being coupled with the tilt lever for pivoting the tilt lever in a first state and the rod being decoupled from the tilt lever in a second state such that the tilt lever is movable relative to the rod and relative to the guide rail along the first direction, the sled comprising a holding element. In a first position the holding element is locked to the guide rail such that the sled is latched relative to the guide rail and in a second position the sled is movable relative to the guide rail to transmit a movement of the sled along the first direction to a second slide mechanism and the holding element holds the tilt lever, when the rod is decoupled from the tilt lever.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive mechanism for a first and a second movable panel for a vehicle, comprising: a first slide mechanism, the first slide mechanism being movable along a first direction within a guide rail for moving the first movable panel, a second slide mechanism, the second slide mechanism being movable along the first direction within the guide rail for moving the second movable panel, the first slide mechanism comprising a rod and a sled with a tilt lever, the rod being coupled with the tilt lever for pivoting the tilt lever in a first state and the rod being decoupled from the tilt lever in a second state such that the tilt lever is movable relative to the rod and relative to the guide rail along the first direction, the sled comprising a holding element, the holding element being movable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the holding element is locked to the guide rail such that the sled is latched relative to the guide rail and in the second position the sled is movable relative to the guide rail to transmit a movement of the sled along the first direction to the second slide mechanism and the holding element holds the tilt lever, when the rod is decoupled from the tilt lever.

2. The drive mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the first slide mechanism comprises a second sled, the second sled being movable along the first direction within the guide rail, wherein in a third state the rod is coupled with the second sled to follow a movement of the second sled along the first direction and in a fourth state the rod is locked to the guide rail such that the second sled is movable relative to the rod.

3. The drive mechanism according claim 2 , wherein the rod is moveable at least partly along a second direction transverse to the first direction to move between the third state and the fourth state of the rod.

4. The drive mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the rod is movable along a third direction transverse to the first direction relative to the tilt lever for coupling and decoupling the rod with tilt lever.

5. The drive mechanism according to claim 4 , the first slide mechanism comprising a spring for exerting a force on the rod in the third direction.

6. The drive mechanism according to claim 1 , the drive mechanism comprising a panel carrier for the second panel, the panel carrier comprising a pin at an end, which is facing the first slide mechanism, the second slide mechanism comprising a slider, the slider being movable along the first direction within the guide rail, the pin of the panel carrier being coupled with the slider such that the pin of the panel carrier is movable relative to the slider along the third direction transverse to the first direction.

7. The drive mechanism according to claim 1 , the second slide mechanism comprising a link rod, the link rod being coupled with the sled of the first slide mechanism to transmit the movement of the sled of the first slide mechanism along the first direction to a sled of the second slide mechanism, the sled of the second slide mechanism being disposed facing away from the first slide mechanism.

8. The drive mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the holding element is pivotally connected to the sled of the first slide mechanism, and the guide rail comprises a recess, a projecting part of the holding element engaging the recess in the first position of the holding element.

9. The drive mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 8 claim 1 , wherein the tilt lever comprises a slide block and the holding element comprises a notch, the slide block being arranged in the notch at least partly for holding the tilt lever.

10. The drive mechanism according claim 1 , wherein the second sled of the first slide mechanism comprises a slotted guide and the holding element comprises a pin, the pin being guided in the slotted guide for moving the holding element between the first position and the second position.

11. The drive mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the second sled of the first slide mechanism is coupled to a drive cable.

12. A method for moving a first and a second movable panel for a vehicle, comprising: moving a rod of a first slide mechanism along a first direction relative to a guide rail and thereby pivoting a tilt lever for tilting a rear edge of the first panel, the tilt lever being coupled with the rod, moving the first panel relative to the tilt lever along the first direction, decoupling the rod from the tilt lever, moving the tilt lever relative to the rod along the first direction, and thereby moving a second slide mechanism for moving the first second panel.

13. The method according to claim 12 , comprising: moving the rod along a second direction transverse to the first direction for coupling and decoupling the rod with the tilt lever.

14. The method according to claim 12 , comprising: locking the tilt lever along the first direction relative to the guide rail during pivoting of the tilt lever, unlocking the tilt lever and moving the tilt lever along the first direction relative to the guide rail, and holding the tilt lever in its pivoted position during movement of the tilt lever along the first direction relative to the guide rail.

15. The method according to claim 12 , comprising: moving a front edge of the second panel along a third direction transverse to the first direction.

Assignees

• Webasto SE

Inventors

• Serneels Marc
• Brangeon Matthieu
• Hölzel Dominik

Classifications

• B60J7/024

  characterised by the height regulating mechanism of the sliding panel (B60J7/043 - B60J7/053 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60J7/0573

  power driven arrangements, e.g. electrical · CPC title

• B60J7/0435 Primary

  pivoting upwardly to vent mode and moving at the outside of the roof to fully open mode · CPC title

• B60J7/022

  Sliding roof trays or assemblies · CPC title

• B60J7/047 Primary

  movable to overlapping or nested relationship {(B60J7/041 takes precedence)} · CPC title