Wind deflector for open roof construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814707-B2
Application number	US-201916284194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2018
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A wind deflector assembly for use in an open roof construction for a vehicle includes an upper elongate element which is movably connected to a stationary part and a flexible wind deflecting material that extends at least along the front of the roof opening, being attached at a lower end to the stationary part and at an upper end to the upper elongate element to keep the wind deflecting material taut in at least the effective position. The wind deflecting material is folded at the upper end in a folded part, said folded part having a hinge part and an opposite first outer end part and wherein the folded part is mounted inside a first cavity whereby the first outer end part is being supported on the upper surface of the protruding part in the first cavity at least when the wind deflector assembly is in an effective position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An open roof construction for a vehicle having a roof opening in a fixed roof, comprising:
a stationary part,
at least a closure element supported by the stationary part and configured to close the roof opening in the fixed roof and to selectively open the roof opening by being moved at least rearward,
a wind deflector assembly positioned near at front of the roof opening, said wind deflector assembly being movable between an ineffective position below the fixed roof and an effective position projecting above the fixed roof,
the wind deflector assembly comprising:
an upper elongate element which is movably connected to the stationary part,
a flexible wind deflecting material extending at least along the front of the roof opening, attached at a lower end to the stationary part and at an upper end to the upper elongate element to keep the wind deflecting material taut in at least the effective position
wherein the upper elongate element comprises at least a first cavity having an internally shaped protruding part having a surface
wherein the wind deflecting material is folded at the upper end into a folded part,
said folded part having a hinge part and an opposite first outer end part,
wherein the folded part is mounted inside the first cavity whereby the first outer end part is being supported on the surface of the protruding part in the first cavity at least when the wind deflector assembly is in the effective position, and
wherein the folded part of wind deflecting material is reinforced by polyester material applied such that the polyester material encapsulates yarns of the wind deflecting material in the part which is reinforced.

2. The open roof construction of claim 1 wherein the folded part is reinforced by polyester material over a length X of the folded part measured from the first outer end part to the hinge part wherein the length X lies in a range of 50% to 100% of the length of the folded part.

3. The open roof construction of claim 1 wherein the reinforcement with polyester material extends from the first outer end part of the folded part via the hinge part towards the upper end area of the wind deflecting material, and which extends downwardly over a length Y measured from the hinge part along the wind deflector material in an opposite direction and wherein the length Y lies in a range of 0% to 100% of the length of the folded part.

4. The open roof construction of claim 1 wherein the folded part of the wind deflecting material along the front of the roof opening extends with the first outer end part in a forward direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

5. The open roof construction of claim 1 wherein the upper elongate element is an extrusion part having substantially a constant cross section along its length and wherein the upper elongate element comprises a first elongated part extending in a transverse direction with regard to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle in an area along the front of the roof opening and further comprising two second elongate parts, each of which is positioned in the respective area of the opposite lateral edges of the roof opening and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and whereby each of the second elongate parts is connected to the first elongate part by a third elongated part shaped substantially as a segment of a circle.

6. The open roof construction of claim 5 wherein the upper elongate element is an extrusion part comprising a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity, said cavities formed by a first wall, a second wall and a third wall and at an upper end of said walls, a fourth wall connected to said first, second and third wall and wherein each of the cavities is open at a lower end thereof.

7. The open roof construction of claim 6 wherein each of the cavities is limited by a shared wall being the second wall and wherein in an area along the front of the roof opening the first cavity is positioned in front of the second cavity seen in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

8. The open roof construction of claim 6 wherein the second cavity is formed such that the second cavity is suitable to receive a leaf spring in the second elongate part and wherein the leaf spring is fitted in between the second and the third wall and the fourth wall.

9. The open roof construction of claim 6 wherein an upper area of the flexible wind deflecting material further is supported by the second wall of the upper elongate element in a substantial horizontal direction.

10. The open roof construction of claim 6 wherein the second wall is shorter than the first wall measured from the fourth wall in a direction parallel to the second wall.

11. The open roof construction of claim 6 wherein the flexible wind deflecting material extends along the first elongate part around the third elongate parts, along the second elongate parts towards a movable connection of the second elongate parts to the stationary part.

12. The open roof construction of claim 8 wherein the flexible wind deflecting material in the area of the second elongate part further comprises a sewing line extending in the wind deflecting material for keeping the wind deflecting material clear of the leaf spring when the wind deflector assembly moves to the ineffective position.

13. The open roof construction of claim 11 wherein the flexible wind deflecting material in the area of the second elongate part further comprises an elastic strap attached to the flexible wind deflecting material whereby the elastic strap biases the wind deflecting material in both the effective and the ineffective position of the wind deflector assembly.

14. The open roof construction of claim 1 wherein the protruding part comprises the surface and further comprises a hook shaped part behind which the first outer end part is positioned such to avoid that the folded part is moving out of the first cavity.

15. A wind deflector assembly for use in an open roof construction for a vehicle having a roof opening in a fixed roof, said wind deflector assembly being configured to move between an ineffective position below the fixed roof and an effective position projecting above the fixed roof, the wind deflector assembly comprising:
an upper elongate element configured to be movably connected to a stationary part of the open roof construction,
a flexible wind deflecting material configured to extend at least along a front of the roof opening, and configured to be attached at a lower end to the stationary part and at an upper end to the upper elongate element to keep the wind deflecting material taut in at least the effective position
wherein the upper elongate element comprises at least a first cavity having an internally shaped protruding part having a surface,
wherein the wind deflecting material is folded at the upper end in a folded part, said folded part having a hinge part and an opposite first outer end part,
wherein the folded part is mounted inside the first cavity whereby the first outer end part is being supported on the surface of the protruding part in the first cavity at least when the wind deflector assembly is in the effective position, and
wherein the folded part of wind deflecting material is reinforced by polyester material applied such that the polyester material encapsulates yarns of the wind deflecting material in the part which is reinforced.

16. The wind deflector assembly of claim 15 wherein the surface is an upper surface of the protruding part of in the first cavity.

17. The wind deflector assembly of

Assignees

• Inalfa Roof Sys Group Bv

Inventors

• Keller David
• Schornak Ian

Classifications

• B60J7/22 Primary

  Wind deflectors for open roofs · CPC title