MOTOR VEHICLE WITH SUNSHINE ROOF

• US 3,819,227 A
• Filed: 06/18/1973
• Issued: 06/25/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pininfarina SPA (Tech Mahindra Limited)
• Original Assignee: Renzo Carli
• Inventors: Carli, Renzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Knowles, Allen N.
• Application Number:
  US05/371,021
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 296/137D,137C,137B,98 160/328,327
• US Class Current: 296/219
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/1291 Soft tops for closed vehicle bodies

Abstract

A motor vehicle sunshine roof of the flexible type is tensioned between a front cross member of the vehicle body and a rear roll bar by two levers pivotally attached to the sides of the roof opening. When the roof is opened the flexible roof portion is rolled up and accommodated in a receptacle formed in the roll bar.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle with a sunshine roof of the kind having a roof opening, a flexible roof portion cooperating with said opening and having at its front edge means for connection to a cross member of the vehicle coachwork above the windscreen, and stretching means carried by the vehicle coachwork and connected to the rear edge of the roof portion to tension said roof portion when it closes the roof opening, the improvement which consists in that:

a. the roof opening with which said flexible roof portion cooperates is defined at the rear by a transverse portion of a roll bar forming part of the coachwork and laterally by two longitudinal stringers of the coachwork which inter-connect said cross member and the ends of said transverse portion of the roll bar. b. the stretching means comprise two stretcher levers articulated to respective said stringers and a crosspiece interconnecting the free ends of said stretcher levers, said rear edge of the flexible roof portion being connectible to said crosspiece, and c. said transverse portion of the roll bar is formed with a cupped receptacle adapted to hold the flexible roof portion when the latter has been disengaged from the said cross member and rolled up.

2. Motor vehicle as defined in claim 1, including a movable cover is provided for closing said cupped receptacle.

3. Motor vehicle as defined in claim 2, wherein said movable cover comprises a transverse panel inter-connecting the free ends oF said two stretcher levers.

4. Motor vehicle as defined in claim 3, wherein the flexible roof portion has a rear end section affixed to the said transverse panel.

5. Motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said movable cover is articulated to the rear edge of said transverse portion of the roll bar.

6. Motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rear edge of the flexible roof portion is releasably connected to the crosspiece carried by the free ends of the stretcher levers.

7. Motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said crosspiece interconnecting the free ends of the stretcher levers has a channel section and the rear edge of the flexible roof portion is furnished with an enlarged portion adapted to engage slidingly in said channel section crosspiece.

8. Motor vehicle according to claim 6, including a pair of auxiliary levers articulated to the said stretcher levers and a crossbar interconnecting the free ends of the said auxiliary levers, and wherein the rear edge of the flexible roof portion is furnished with an enlarged portion adapted to engage between said crosspiece inter-connecting the free ends of said stretcher levers and said crossbar.