Vehicle roof with support portion and roller blind assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10974575-B2
Application number	US-201716468513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2017
Priority date	Dec 21, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle roof having at least one transparent roof portion, a roof-attached support portion and a roller blind assembly for selectively shading or at least partially exposing the transparent roof portion, the roller blind assembly having at least one roller blind unit comprising a roller blind web, which can be wound up into a roller blind coil, and a lateral bearing element on either side of the vertical longitudinal center plane of the roof. The roller blind coil can be disposed between the two lateral bearing elements. The roller blind assembly may have a bearing shell on top of which the at least one roller blind unit is attached via the lateral bearing elements and which is fixed to the at least one support portion from below.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle roof, comprising: at least one transparent roof portion, a roof-attached support portion and a roller blind assembly for selectively shading or at least partially exposing the transparent roof portion, the roller blind assembly having at least one roller blind unit comprising a roller blind web, which can be wound up into a roller blind coil, and a lateral bearing element on either side of a vertical longitudinal center plane of the roof, the roller blind coil being disposed between the two lateral bearing elements, wherein the roller blind assembly comprises a bearing shell on top of which the at least one roller blind unit is attached via the lateral bearing elements and wherein the bearing shell is fixed to the at least one support portion from below; and
wherein each bearing element comprises at least one centering pin disposed at the end and engaging into a roof-attached centering recess.

2. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the roller blind unit can be positioned relative to the bearing shell and to the support portion when the bearing shell is fixed to the roof-attached support portion.

3. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing shell hast at least one positioning slot for each lateral bearing element, a positioning element, wherein the positioning element is a positioning rib of the respective bearing element, engaging into the positioning slot.

4. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein each bearing element is provided with at least one retaining element which penetrates an opening of the bearing shell and engages below the same.

5. The vehicle roof according to claim 4 , wherein the opening has a widened insert portion, whose dimensions are larger than the cross-dimensions of the retaining element, and a tapered mounting portion, whose dimensions are smaller than those of a retaining portion of the retaining element.

6. The vehicle roof according to claim 4 , wherein the retaining element is a pin having an inversely T-shaped longitudinal section.

7. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein each bearing element has at least one sliding element at its underside, the sliding element bearing on the bearing shell and being resilient.

8. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein each bearing element has a catch which engages into a corresponding recess of the bearing shell when in a pre-installation position.

9. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the centering recess is formed by a guide rail profile with which an end face of the respective bearing element is in contact when in an installation position.

10. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein each bearing element has two side walls between which a profile portion of a guide rail profile is received from above and between which a bearing element bottom is formed on which the profile portion rests when in an installation position, the side walls and the profile portion preferably each being provided with a lead-in chamfer.

11. A vehicle roof, comprising: at least one transparent roof portion, a roof-attached support portion and a roller blind assembly for selectively shading or at least partially exposing the transparent roof portion, the roller blind assembly having at least one roller blind unit comprising a roller blind web, which can be wound up into a roller blind coil, and a lateral bearing element on either side of a vertical longitudinal center plane of the roof, the roller blind coil being disposed between the two lateral bearing elements, wherein the roller blind assembly comprises a bearing shell on top of which the at least one roller blind unit is attached via the lateral bearing elements and wherein the bearing shell is fixed to the at least one support portion from below; and
wherein each bearing element has a guide track for a pull bar slider, the guide track being aligned with a guide channel of a guide rail profile.

12. A vehicle roof, comprising: at least one transparent roof portion, a roof-attached support portion and a roller blind assembly for selectively shading or at least partially exposing the transparent roof portion, the roller blind assembly having at least one roller blind unit comprising a roller blind web, which can be wound up into a roller blind coil, and a lateral bearing element on either side of a vertical longitudinal center plane of the roof, the roller blind coil being disposed between the two lateral bearing elements, wherein the roller blind assembly comprises a bearing shell on top of which the at least one roller blind unit is attached via the lateral bearing elements and wherein the bearing shell is fixed to the at least one support portion from below; and
wherein each bearing element has a centering track in which a lateral guide tape of the roller blind web is guided and which is aligned with a channel of the guide rail profile.

13. The vehicle roof according to claim 11 , wherein each pull bar slider has a recess for a coupling element of a respective drive cable driven by a drive motor.

14. The vehicle roof according to claim 13 , wherein the recess is open at the top and receives the coupling element without play in a longitudinal direction of the respective guide rail profile.

15. The vehicle roof according to claim 13 , wherein each recess has lead-in chamfers for the respective coupling element.

16. The vehicle roof according to claim 13 , wherein the coupling elements of the drive cables are guided in the guide rail profiles in a manner secured against twisting and each comprise a tongue which points in the direction of the vertical longitudinal center plane of the roof.

17. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 ,
wherein the bearing elements each comprise a bearing pin for a winding tube.

18. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing shell is provided with a fixing plate on either side of the vertical longitudinal center plane of the roof via which it can be attached to the body.

19. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing shell is screwed to guide rail profiles from below, which form the support portion.

20. The vehicle roof according to claim 19 , wherein the bearing elements are screwed to the guide rail profiles from below.

21. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the roller blind assembly comprises two roller blind units which are disposed on the bearing shell.

22. The vehicle roof according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion is formed by a frame of a roof opening system.

Assignees

• Webasto SE

Inventors

• Mueller Mathias
• Tirpitz Günter

Classifications

• B60J7/022

  Sliding roof trays or assemblies · CPC title

• B60J3/02

  adjustable in position {(B60J3/002, B60J3/005 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B60R2013/0287

  integrating other functions or accessories · CPC title

• B60J1/2063 Primary

  Mounting arrangements for roller blind or its storage box, e.g. integration into beltline or window frame · CPC title

• B60J1/2052

  Guides · CPC title