Motor vehicle roof

• US 6,439,654 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
• Original Assignee: Webasto Karosseriesysteme GmbH
• Inventors: Jardin, Hans, Schåtzler, Walter, Teschner, Helmut, Pfalzgraf, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis H.
• Application Number:
  US09/428,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20020053816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 296/211, 296/215, 296/216.03, 296/220.01, 296/216.02, 296/217, 296/216-6-2, 296/214
• US Class Current: 296/211
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/00 Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels , e.g. rotary sunroofsB60J10/00 takes precedence; window aspects B60J1/00; fixed roofs B62D25/06; mechanisms for operating wings E05F11/00, E05F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/0015 roller blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/043 Sunroofs B60J7/047 - B60J7/053 take precedencee.g. sliding above the roof
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/22 Wind deflectors for open roofs
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof

Abstract

A motor vehicle roof including a front roof opening and a rear roof opening, a movable front cover for covering the front roof opening, the movable front cover being movably guided on a frame member and substantially transparent with a nonviewing area and a viewing area to allow viewing of objects through the front cover, a stationary rear cover for covering the rear roof opening, the stationary rear roof cover being supported on the frame and substantially transparent with a nonviewing area and a viewing area to allow viewing of objects through the stationary rear cover, and solar cells provided proximate to at least one of the nonviewing area of the movable front cover and the nonviewing area of the stationary rear cover.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle roof comprising:

a front roof opening and a rear roof opening;

a movable front cover for covering said front roof opening, said movable front cover being movably guided on a frame member and being substantially transparent with a nonviewing area and a viewing area through which objects are viewable through said movable front cover;

a stationary rear cover for covering said rear roof opening, said stationary rear roof cover being supported on said frame and substantially transparent with a nonviewing area and a viewing area through which objects are viewable through said stationary rear cover; and

solar cells provided only in the nonviewing area of each of said movable front cover and said stationary rear cover, said nonviewing area being located only at one side of the viewing area and extending crosswise of the vehicle roof, and wherein a roller for a sliding blind is located under the nonviewing area of one of the covers and at least one of fastening and drive elements for closing of the sliding blind is located under the nonviewing area of the other of the covers.

2. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, further comprising a cross strut positioned between said front roof opening and said rear roof opening for stiffening said frame.

3. Motor vehicle roof of claim 2, wherein said cross strut is positioned below at least one of said nonviewing area of said movable front cover and said nonviewing area of said stationary rear cover.

4. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein said solar cells are provided at said nonviewing area of said movable front cover.

5. Motor vehicle roof of claim 4, wherein said nonviewing area of said movable front cover is positioned toward a back edge of said movable front cover.

6. Motor vehicle roof of claim 4, wherein said nonviewing area of said movable front cover is positioned at an edge of said movable front cover.

7. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein said nonviewing area of said stationary rear cover is positioned at an edge of said stationary rear cover.

8. Motor vehicle roof of claim 7, wherein said nonviewing area of said stationary rear cover is positioned toward a back edge of said stationary rear cover.

9. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, further comprising a wind deflection louver positioned proximate to a front edge of said front roof opening, said wind deflection louver including solar cells.

10. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein at least one of said viewing area of said movable front cover and said viewing area of said stationary rear cover are provided with a layer which reduces transmission in an infrared spectral range.

11. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein at least one of said viewing area of said movable front cover and said viewing area of said stationary rear cover are provided with a layer which reduces transmission of visible light.

12. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein said viewing area and said nonviewing area of said movable front cover are integrally joined to one another.

13. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein said viewing area and said nonviewing area of said stationary rear cover are integrally joined to one another.

14. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein said stationary rear cover is divided into a solar pane having said nonviewing area with solar cells and a viewing pane having said viewing area.

15. Motor vehicle roof of claim 1, wherein said solar pane is made of one of clear glass and flint glass.

16. Motor vehicle roof of claim 14, wherein said viewing pane reduces transmission of at least one of visible light and infrared radiation.

17. Motor vehicle roof of claim 14, wherein said viewing pane is colored.

18. Motor vehicle roof comprising:

a front roof opening and a rear roof opening;

a movable front cover for covering said front roof opening, said movable front cover being movably guided on a frame member and substantially transparent with a nonviewing area and a viewing area through which objects are viewable through said movable front cover;

a stationary rear cover for covering said rear roof opening, said stationary rear roof cover being supported on said frame and substantially transparent with a viewing area through which objects are viewable through said stationary rear cover;

a solar pane positioned on a pivotable wind deflection louver; and

solar cells provided on each of said movable front cover and said stationary rear cover only at the nonviewing area which is located only at one side thereof.

19. Motor vehicle roof of claim 18, wherein said solar plane is positioned toward a rear of said motor vehicle roof, after said rear roof opening.