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Control apparatus for opening or closing roof of a vehicle

  • US 5,242,210 A
  • Filed: 10/09/1991
  • Issued: 09/07/1993
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A flexible top apparatus of a vehicle having:

  • a roof panel connected to a vehicle body through at least a pair of left-hand and right-hand front pillars and a pair of left-hand and right-hand rear pillars;

    said roof panel being provided around its perimeter with a front header, a pair of left-hand and right-hand roof side rails, and a rear header, said front header, pair of left-hand and right-hand roof side rails and rear header defining a roof opening formed in said roof panel; and

    a rear window glass panel fixed to said rear pillars and said rear header;

    comprising;

    a flexible top having a size as substantially large as the roof opening in a state in which said flexible top is longitudinally unfolded and expanded and being disposed to selectively take a first posture in which the roof opening is closed and a second posture in which said flexible top is longitudinally contracted at a position in the vicinity of said rear header to open the roof opening;

    a guide means disposed between said flexible top and the vehicle body for guiding said flexible top in a contracted state between said second posture and a third posture located in a vicinity of a lower end portion of said rear window glass panel, said guide means extends from the lower end portion to in front of the rear header;

    a driving means for transferring said flexible top between the second posture and the third posture;

    a switch for selectively giving an instruction to start transferring said flexible top between the second posture and the third posture;

    a state detecting means for detecting a presumed standing state in which the vehicle halts;

    a first control means for controlling the transfer of the flexible top when the vehicle is in the presumed standing state; and

    a second control means for continuing control of the transfer of the flexible top regardless of whether or not the vehicle is shifted from said presumed standing state to a presumed running state after the flexible top starts transferring between the second posture and the third posture.

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