Sunroof apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9278609-B2
Application number	US-201414535480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2014
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

A sunroof apparatus includes: a movable panel adjusted to open and close an opening formed on a roof of a vehicle; a guide rail extending on the roof in the vehicle front-rear direction; a driving shoe driven to move along the guide rail; a support bracket including a first engagement protrusion and a second engagement protrusion and supporting the movable panel; a rear-side guide member on which a guide-side engagement concave portion is formed and which is provided on the guide rail; and a rear-side link from which a link-side engagement protrusion which engages with the guide-side engagement concave portion to lift up and lower the rear portion of the support bracket protrudes in the vehicle width direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sunroof apparatus comprising:
a movable panel that is adjusted to open and close an opening formed on a roof of a vehicle;
a guide rail that extends on the roof in the vehicle front-rear direction;
a driving shoe that is driven to move along the guide rail;
a support bracket that includes a first engagement protrusion and a second engagement protrusion and supports the movable panel;
a rear-side guide member on which a guide-side engagement concave portion is formed and which is provided on the guide rail; and
a rear-side link from which a link-side engagement protrusion which engages with the guide-side engagement concave portion to lift up and lower the rear portion of the support bracket protrudes in the vehicle width direction,
wherein, on the driving shoe, a first driving shoe-side engagement concave portion that is capable of engaging with the first engagement protrusion to allow the rear portion of the support bracket to be lifted up and lowered and a second driving shoe-side engagement concave portion that is capable of engaging with the second engagement protrusion to cause the front portion of the support bracket to be lifted up and lowered and to cause the support bracket to move integrally with the support bracket in the vehicle front-rear direction are formed, and
wherein the first and second driving shoe-side engagement concave portions and the guide-side engagement concave portion are overlapped with each other at a position in the width direction and a part of the guide-side engagement concave portion with which the link-side engagement protrusion engages in a completely-closed state of the movable panel is disposed below the first driving shoe-side engagement concave portion in the vehicle height direction in a wide-open state of the movable panel.

2. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide-side engagement concave portion slopes toward a vehicle forward direction.

3. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second rear-side guide member which is provided on the guide rail to be separated from the rear-side guide member in the width direction and on which a second guide-side engagement concave portion that engages with the link-side engagement protrusion is formed; and
a support protrusion that protrudes from the front portion of the support bracket in the width direction, functions as a rotation center of the support bracket when an amount of a movement of the driving shoe in the vehicle front-rear direction with the completely-closed state of the movable panel as a starting point is less than a predetermined amount, and supports the movement of the support bracket when the amount of the movement of the driving shoe is the predetermined amount or greater,
wherein the support protrusion and the second guide-side engagement concave portion are disposed to be overlapped with each other at a position in the width direction.

4. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a second rear-side guide member which is provided on the guide rail to be separated from the rear-side guide member in the width direction and on which a second guide-side engagement concave portion that engages with the link-side engagement protrusion is formed; and
a support protrusion that protrudes from the front portion of the support bracket in the width direction, functions as a rotation center of the support bracket when an amount of a movement of the driving shoe in the vehicle front-rear direction with the completely-closed state of the movable panel as a starting point is less than a predetermined amount, and supports the movement of the support bracket when the amount of the movement of the driving shoe is the predetermined amount or greater,
wherein the support protrusion and the second guide-side engagement concave portion are disposed to be overlapped with each other at a position in the width direction.

5. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein, on the guide rail, a pair of regulation pieces that extend to face each other in the width direction and regulate the upward movements of the rear-side guide member and the second rear-side guide member in the vehicle height direction, respectively, are formed,
wherein a first regulation piece that is a one-side regulation piece of both of the regulation pieces is in a state of not extending above the guide-side engagement concave portion of the rear-side guide member in the width direction, and
wherein a second regulation piece that is different from the first regulation piece of both of the regulation pieces is in a state of extending above the guide-side engagement concave portion of the second rear-side guide member in the width direction.

6. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein, on the guide rail, a pair of regulation pieces that extend to face each other in the width direction and regulate the upward movements of the rear-side guide member and the second rear-side guide member in the vehicle height direction, respectively, are formed,
wherein a first regulation piece that is a one-side regulation piece of both of the regulation pieces is in a state of not extending above the guide-side engagement concave portion of the rear-side guide member in the width direction, and
wherein a second regulation piece that is different from the first regulation piece of both of the regulation pieces is in a state of extending above the guide-side engagement concave portion of the second rear-side guide member in the width direction.

7. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second regulation piece is configured to regulate a movement of the support protrusion in the vehicle height direction in a movement state of the support bracket.

8. The sunroof apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the second regulation piece is configured to regulate a movement of the support protrusion in the vehicle height direction in a movement state of the support bracket.

Assignees

• Aisin Seiki

Inventors

• Sawada Kazuki
• Iwashita Katsuyoshi

Classifications

• B60J7/024

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

• B60J7/0435 Primary

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