JP5412197B2 - Convertible top drive - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention has a configuration in which a tonneau cover is disposed on the rear end side of the convertible top that is automatically opened and closed, and in a closed state of the convertible top, the rear end portion of the convertible top is abutted on the front side of the tonneau cover. The present invention relates to a drive device suitable for a convertible top for a vehicle.

  Various structures have been proposed for convertible tops for vehicles that constitute the roof part of open cars, but most of them have a smooth rear form in the closed state of the convertible top from the rear end of the roof to the rear side of the vehicle. It was formed in a streamlined shape inclined downward, and a back glass was attached to the downward inclined portion.

  On the other hand, the applicant of the present application, as shown in FIG. 3, has a convertible top 10 configured such that a hood 11 is supported by a hood frame 12 that can be folded and unfolded above the vehicle compartment 2 of the vehicle 1. The rear form is cut off in the longitudinal direction at the rear end of the roof and opened to the rear side of the vehicle body, while the tonneau cover 5 provided on the rear side of the convertible top 10 is attached to only the side portions 51a in the vehicle width direction of the convertible top 10. The tonneau cover 5 has a front end surface that has a streamlined bulging shape that smoothly descends and tilts from the rear end of the roof portion to the rear side of the vehicle body, and an intermediate portion 51b of the left and right bulge forming portions is formed in a lower flat plate shape. Have proposed a back glass 52 attached (see Patent Document 1).

  In FIG. 3, reference numerals 14 and 15 denote roof side frames disposed on both sides of the convertible top 10, and reference numeral 16 denotes a rear side frame positioned at a front side end of the convertible top 10.

  By the way, in the convertible top described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the convertible top 10 is closed, the rear end bow 17 provided at the rear end thereof is brought into contact with the back glass 52 attached to the front end surface of the tonneau cover 5. At the same time, the striker 55 provided on the rear end bow 17 enters the tonneau cover 5 through the through hole 54 provided on the back glass 52 and is hooked on the lock mechanism 56 disposed in the tonneau cover 5 to thereby make the rear The end bow 17 is attracted to the back glass 52 side so as to ensure a sealing property between them.

  As described above, when the convertible top 10 is in the closed state, the rear end bow 17 is abutted against the back glass 52 attached to the front end surface of the tonneau cover 5, so that the convertible top 10 is opened from the closed state. In order to avoid interference between the convertible top 10 and the tonneau cover 5, when the convertible top 10 is folded to the rear side and stored in the lower space of the tonneau cover 5, when the actuating to the state side is performed, 3, the tonneau cover 5 is once moved upward. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear end of the convertible top 10, that is, the rear end bow 17 portion is moved to the front side of the vehicle body. It is moved (indicated by the chain line) to cancel the abutting state of the tonneau cover 5 against the back glass 52. , And so as to open operating the tonneau cover 5.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-170922

  However, as described above, in the closed state of the convertible top 10, the rear end bow 17 positioned at the rear end of the convertible top 10 is abutted against the back glass 52 positioned on the front surface of the tonneau cover 5. When the striker 55 on the rear end bow 17 side is engaged with the lock mechanism 56 on the tonneau cover 5 side, the back glass of the rear end bow 17 is changed depending on the engagement state of the striker 55 and the lock mechanism 56. Since the position and angle with respect to 52 and the tension of the hood 11 are different, it is necessary to adjust each of the above items when the convertible top 10 is mounted on the vehicle 1.

  The abutting portion between the back glass 52 and the rear end bow 17 is a seal portion at the rear part of the vehicle body of the convertible top 10, and is provided on the rear end bow 17 in order to ensure the sealing performance. In order to counteract the reaction force of the sealing material and the tension of the hood 11, for example, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the drive source of the hood 11 or to add a function of pulling the striker 55 into the lock mechanism 56. Become.

  Further, since the striker 55 and the lock mechanism 56 exist with the back glass 52 interposed therebetween, it is necessary to provide a through hole 59 through which the striker 55 can be inserted into the back glass 52, and as a result, convertible. In the open state of the top 10, the through hole 59 is exposed to the passenger compartment side, and the aesthetics of this portion are also impaired.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made with the object of providing a convertible top drive device that does not require adjustment work when mounted on a vehicle, and that can simplify the structure and improve the aesthetics.

  In the present invention, the following configuration is adopted as a specific means for solving such a problem.

In a first aspect of the present invention is constructed by supporting the hood 11 by folding top frame 12 which is a bent-deployable in the upper side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the left and right sides of the rear end portion of the folding top frame 12 the rear side frame 16 is tiltably connected to the vehicle body longitudinal direction with respect to said rear side frame 16, and rear end of the convertible top 11 is connected, in a state of tilted front of the vehicle body between the rear side frame 16 of the convertible top 11 A rear end bow 17 is provided to fold the vehicle body rear side portion of the hood 11 while the vehicle body rear side portion is folded between the vehicle body and the hood frame 12 is unfolded and bent. A convertible top 10 that opens and closes the upper side of the chamber 2, and a tonneau cover 5 provided on the rear side of the convertible top 10 and provided with a back glass 52 on the front surface. In the unfolded state of the hood frame 12, the rear form of the convertible top 10 is cut off in the vertical direction at the rear end of the roof and opened to the rear side of the vehicle body, while the tonneau cover 5 has both sides in the vehicle width direction as described above. convertibles continuously from the roof portion the rear end of the convertible top 10 is raised formed streamlined so as to smoothly inclined downward to the rear side of the vehicle body, and the rear bow 17 is configured to abut on the back windscreen 52 The top drive device, the other end of the first link piece 22A whose one end is pivotally supported on the rear side frame 16 side, and the second link whose one end is pivotally supported on the rear end bow 17 side. a bending link 22 constituted by connecting the other end of the strip 22B to be relatively rotated, a cylinder 25 attached to the rear side frames 16, the For example, the rear bow 17 is in the expanded state of the convertible top frame 12, in a state where the vehicle body rear side portion of the hood 11 is stretched, the bending link 22 is bent by the driving force of the cylinder 25 while away from the upper SL back windscreen 52 in to Rukoto, in a state where the vehicle body rear side portion of the hood 11 is folded, the folding link 22 by the driving force of the cylinder 25 is you wrought linearly be characterized by being pressed and fixed to the upper SL back glass 52 side to secure the sealing property between the back glass 52, it is configured such that the vehicle body rear side portion of the hood 11 is stretched by Yes.

  According to a second invention of the present application, in the convertible top drive device according to the first invention, the bent link 22 is arranged between the bent link 22 and the rear side frame 16 in a linear shape from the bent posture. When the posture is changed to the extended posture, the bent link 22 is restricted from being bent beyond the extended posture to the side opposite to the bent direction in the bent posture, and the bent link When the posture is changed from the extended posture to the bent posture, the posture link section 7 is provided with a posture restricting portion 7 for restricting the bent link 22 from being bent beyond the bent posture. .

  In the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  (A) According to the convertible top drive device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B are bent when the convertible top 10 is operated from the open state to the closed state. The bent link 22 in the “bending posture” is expanded in a straight line by the thrust of the cylinder 25 attached to the rear side frame 16 to make it into the “expanding posture”, so that the rear end The bow 17 is abutted against the back glass 52 with a predetermined pressing force and the pressing abutting state is maintained, and the hood 11 whose rear end is connected to the rear end bow 17 is stretched with a predetermined tension. Established.

  That is, the hood 11 is stretched, the rear end portion of the hood 11 is fixed and held by one operation of changing the posture of the bent link 22 from the “folded posture” to the “expanded posture”. The three functions of ensuring the sealing performance at the rear end of the hood 11 are realized at the same time. In addition, in this case, the pressing force of the rear end bow 17 to the back glass 52 and the relative position and relative angle of the rear end bow 17 to the back glass 52 are the same as those of the first link piece 22A of the bent link 22. It is defined by the length setting of the second link piece 22B and is held for a long time.

  As a result, for example, when the hood 11 is stretched and the rear end bow 17 is abutted against the back glass 52, and the function of maintaining this abutting state is realized by separate means. Compared to the above, the structure of the driving device can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B of the bent link 22 are linearly extended and set to the “expanded posture”, and the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B are set. Since the rear side frame 16 and the rear end bow 17 exert a pushing force between the rear side frame 16 and the rear end bow 17 so as to maintain the abutting pressing action against the back glass 52, the abutting pressing is performed. The effect of holding the action can be reliably obtained over a long period of time, and the reliability of the sealing action between the rear end bow 17 and the back glass 52 is improved. Further, there is no need to provide the through hole 59 in the back glass 52 unlike the conventional structure in which the rear end bow 17 is attracted and held to the back glass 52 side of the tonneau cover 5 by the engaging action of the striker and the lock mechanism. The absence of the through hole 59 improves the aesthetics at the rear of the passenger compartment.

  Further, since the cylinder 25 is attached to the rear side frame 16 side, the space below the rear side frame 16 can be used effectively, and further downsizing of the vehicle body in the height direction can be achieved. it can.

  (B) According to the convertible top drive device according to the second invention of the present application, the bent link 22 extends from the “folded posture” to the linear “between” the bent link 22 and the rear side frame 16. When the posture is changed to the “expanded posture”, the bending link 22 is restricted from being bent beyond the “expanded posture” to the side opposite to the bending direction in the “folded posture”. At the same time, when the bent link 22 is changed from the “expanded posture” to the “folded posture”, the bent link 22 is restricted from being further bent beyond the “folded posture”. Since the posture restricting section 7 is provided, the “bending posture” can be obtained with certainty, and as a result, the bending link 22 is set to the “expanded posture”. The effect of this will be further enhanced.

It is a side view which shows the state just before the closed state of the convertible top of the drive device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the closed state of the convertible top of the drive device shown in FIG. It is a principal part side view of the vehicle provided with the convertible top.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on preferred embodiments.

A: Configuration FIGS. 1 and 2 show a main part of a convertible top driving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The convertible top 10 and the surrounding vehicle body structure and the like are the same as those shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, in the following, the same members as those shown in FIG. The description here is omitted.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 16 denotes a rear side frame which is one of the constituent members of the hood frame 12, and the rear side frame 16 can be rotated in the front-rear direction by a first fulcrum pin 31 provided at the lower end thereof. ing. Here, the illustration of the mechanism for tilting the rear side frame 16 is omitted.

  Further, a rear end bow support arm 21 is attached to a position near the lower end of the rear side frame 16 by a second fulcrum pin 32, and the rear end bow support arm 21 is located in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body around the second fulcrum pin 32. It is possible to turn in the direction. A rear end bow 17 is attached to the front end side of the rear end bow support arm 21, and the rear end bow support arm 21 rotates around the second fulcrum pin 32. When the vehicle body is rotated integrally with the rear side frame 16 as shown in FIG. 1, it is separated from the rear side frame 16 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it is set to a “backward tilting posture” that abuts on the back glass 52 attached to the front end surface of the tonneau cover 5 disposed at the front.

  The rear end bow 17 is a member that is disposed at the rearmost end of the hood frame 12 and constitutes a part of the hood frame 12, and is formed in a horizontally long, substantially rectangular frame shape. On the side facing the tonneau cover 5, there is provided a sealing material 53 that exerts sealing properties by elastically contacting the back glass 52 on the tonneau cover 5 side.

  On the other hand, a bent link 22 described below is arranged between the rear side frame 16 and the rear end bow 17. The bent link 22 has an intermediate position connected to the rear side frame 16 by a third fulcrum pin 33 and one end connected to the rear end bow 17 by a fourth fulcrum pin 34. The second link piece 22B is configured, and the other end of the first link piece 22A and the other end of the second link piece 22B are connected by a connecting pin 41 and can be bent around the connecting pin 41. As shown in FIG. 2, the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B are bent in a mountain shape, and the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B are linearly formed as shown in FIG. The posture can be changed between the extended “extended posture”.

  The connecting pin 41 that connects the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B of the bent link 22 is pivotally supported by a cylinder pin 42 on the upper side of the rear side frame 16 and extends downward. The rod end of the cylinder 25 is connected.

  Further, from the viewpoint of ensuring the posture setting of the bent link 22 to the “forward tilted posture” and the “backward tilted posture”, the rear side frame 16 has an arcuate guide having the third fulcrum pin 33 as the center of curvature. A groove 18 is provided, and a guide pin 19 that engages with the guide groove 18 is provided at an end of the first link piece 22A, and the guide groove 18 and the guide pin 19 are used in the claims. The “posture regulating unit 7” is configured. As a result of providing the posture restricting portion 7, as shown in FIG. 1, the above-mentioned “forward leaning posture” is obtained in a state where the guide pin 19 is engaged with one end of the guide groove 18 and further movement is restricted. As shown in FIG. 2, the “backward tilting posture” is obtained in a state where the guide pin 19 is engaged with the other end of the guide groove 18 and further movement is restricted.

  Further, as described above, when the guide pin 19 is engaged with one end of the guide groove 18, the first link piece 22 </ b> A and the second link piece 22 </ b> B of the bent link 22 are moved from the “forward inclined posture”. Further bending is restricted, but from the viewpoint of further ensuring the regulating action, as shown in FIG. 1, in the state where the rear end bow 17 is set to the “forward tilted posture”. Is connected to the third fulcrum pin 33 pivotally supporting the first link piece 22A and the straight line L1 connecting the connecting pin 41 connecting the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B. The relative positions of these straight lines L1 and L2 are set so that a straight line L2 connecting 41 and the cylinder pin 42 pivotally supporting the cylinder 25 is located closer to the rear end bow 17, the above If Linda 25 is extended operation, thrust by the cylinder 25 so that acts to rotate clockwise the first link piece 22A about the third fulcrum pin 33.

B: Operation The drive device configured as described above operates as follows.

B-1: Closed State of Convertible Top 10 FIG. 2 shows a closed state of the convertible top 10. In this state, the cylinder 25 is in the extended state, and the bent link 22 is extended by the extension force of the cylinder 25 so that the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B extend straight. It is said that. In this case, since the guide pin 19 provided in the first link piece 22A of the bent link 22 is engaged with the other end of the guide groove 18 provided in the rear side frame 16, the bent link is provided. 22 is further restricted from being bent downward, the posture setting to the “expanded posture” is accurately performed, and the self-locking action at the stroke end in the contracting direction of the cylinder 25 The above “expanded posture” is securely held.

  By setting the bent link 22 to the “expanded posture”, the rear end bow 17 is set to the “rear tilted posture”, and the entire circumference of the sealing material 53 provided on the rear end bow 17 is the tonneau cover 5. The back glass 52 provided on the front surface of the back glass 52 is abutted with a predetermined pressing force, and the sealing performance between the rear end bow 17 and the back glass 52, that is, the rear end portion of the top 11 of the convertible top 10 and the above-mentioned The sealing property between the back glass 52 is ensured. The hood 11 is stretched with an appropriate tension.

  And this sealing performance is maintained favorably over a long period of time. That is, the bent link 22 is securely held in the “expanded posture”, and the pressing force of the rear end bow 17 toward the back glass 52 in the “expanded posture” is the operating force of the cylinder 25. It is determined and maintained by the “initial setting items” of the length setting of the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B and the mounting position of the bent link 22 with respect to the rear side frame 16 without changing depending on the size of the first link piece 22A. Therefore, for example, if an element of aging deterioration of the sealing material 53 is excluded, it is ensured stably over a long period of time. In addition, since the relative position of the hood 11 with respect to the tonneau cover 5 is determined based on “initially set items”, the hood 11 can be maintained in an appropriate tension state for a long time. become.

Therefore, in the driving device of this embodiment, for example, as in the conventional case, the sealing performance is the same as when the striker 55 on the rear end bow 17 side is hooked on the locking mechanism 56 on the tonneau cover 5 side. For securing the convertible top 10, it is not necessary to adjust the position and angle of the rear end bow 17 with respect to the back glass 52 or the tension of the hood 11 when the convertible top 10 is mounted on the vehicle. Thus, the cost can be reduced .

  Further, it is not necessary to use the hooking action of the striker 55 and the lock mechanism 56 provided on the rear end bow 17 side as in the prior art, and it is necessary to provide a through hole for inserting the striker 55 into the back glass 52. As a result, the aesthetics of the back glass 52, that is, the aesthetics of the rear part of the vehicle compartment in the closed state of the convertible top 10 is improved.

B-2: Opening operation from the closed state of the convertible top 10 When the convertible top 10 is changed from the closed state to the open state, the convertible top 10 is folded and stored in a position below the rear portion of the vehicle body. From the viewpoint of avoiding interference between the hood frame 12 and the tonneau cover 5 when housed in a portion (not shown), as the preceding operation, the rear end bow 17 of the convertible top 10 in the closed state is temporarily moved to the vehicle compartment side. As described above, it is necessary to incline toward and away from the back glass 52.

  The operation in this case is as follows. That is, in the closed state shown in FIG. 2, first, the cylinder 25 is contracted. Then, the connecting point of the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B of the bent link 22, that is, the connecting pin 41 portion is pulled upward, and the bent link 22 is bent in a mountain shape upward. When the guide pin 19 of the first link piece 22A is locked to one end of the guide groove 18, the bent link 22 is set to the “bending posture” as shown in FIG.

  As the posture of the bent link 22 is changed from the “expanded posture” to the “folded posture”, the rear end bow 17 turns the pivot point of the rear end bow support arm 21, that is, the second fulcrum pin. It is turned to the vehicle compartment side about 32 and is separated from the back glass 52 of the tonneau cover 5 to the vehicle compartment front side. By setting the rear end bow 17 to the “forward tilted posture”, even when the tonneau cover 5 is rotated upward, the tonneau cover 5 does not interfere with the rear end bow 17 and is rotated upward. The convertible top 10 can be folded and stored in the storage unit without interfering with the tonneau cover 5.

B-3: Closing Operation of Convertible Top 10 When the convertible top 10 is changed from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the open state shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder 25 is extended from the contracted state. Then, in response to the extension force of the cylinder 25, the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B of the bent link 22 are gradually extended from the mountain-shaped bent posture, and the first link piece 22A is extended to the first link piece 22A. When the provided guide pin 19 is engaged with one end of the guide groove 18, the first link piece 22A and the second link piece 22B are linearly extended as shown in FIG. " This “expanded posture” is reliably held by the self-locking action at the stroke end of the cylinder 25 in the extending direction.

1 ·· Vehicle 2 ·· Vehicle 3 ·· Front header 5 ·· Tonneau cover 6 ··· Base brace 7 ·· Attitude restriction portion 10 ·· Convertible top 11 ·· Top 12 · · Top frame 13 · · Front frame 14 · · Roof side frame 15 · · roof side frame 16 · · rear side frame 17 · · rear end bow 18 · · guide groove 19 · · guide pin 21 · · rear end bow support arm 22 · · bent link 22A · · · first Link piece 22B ··· Second link piece 31 · · First fulcrum pin 32 · · Second fulcrum pin 33 · · Third fulcrum pin 34 · · Fourth fulcrum pin 41 · · Connection pin 42 · · Cylinder pin 51 · · Cover body 52 .. Back glass 53 .. Sealing material

Claims (2)

It is configured to support the canopy (11) by folding-deployable and has been folding top frame (12) at the upper side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, rear side frames on the left and right sides of the rear end portion of the folding top frame (12) (16) and the rear side frame (16) are connected to be tiltable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body , and the rear end of the hood (11) is connected, and the hood (11) is tilted forward of the vehicle body. A rear end bow (17) is provided that folds the rear part of the vehicle body between the rear side frame (16) and extends the rear part of the hood (11) while tilting backward. A convertible top (10) for opening and closing the upper part of the passenger compartment (2) by unfolding and folding the hood frame (12);
A tonneau cover (5) provided on the rear side of the convertible top (10) and provided with a back glass (52) on the front surface;
In the unfolded state of the hood frame (12), the rear form of the convertible top (10) is cut off in the longitudinal direction at the rear end of the roof and opened to the rear of the vehicle body, while the tonneau cover (5) both side portions in the width direction is ridge formed streamlined so as to smoothly inclined downward to the rear side of the vehicle body continuously from the roof portion the rear end of the convertible top (10) and the rear bow (17) is the back glass (52) A convertible top drive device configured to collide with,
The other end of the first link piece (22A) whose one end is pivotally supported on the rear side frame (16) side, and the second link piece (one end is pivotally supported on the rear end bow (17) side) A bent link (22) configured by connecting the other end of 22B) so as to be relatively rotatable ;
A cylinder (25) attached to the rear side frame (16) ,
The rear end bow (17) is in a deployed state of the hood frame (12).
In a state that the vehicle body rear side portion of the canopy (11) is stretched from the upper cylinder SL back glass the bending link (22) is in the folded be Rukoto by the driving force of the (25) (52) while away,
In a state that the vehicle body rear side portion is folded in the folding top (11), the upper Symbol back windscreen (52 the bending link (22) is in Rukoto be wrought linearly by the driving force of the cylinder (25) ) is pressed and fixed to the side to ensure the sealing property between the back glass (52), convertible, characterized in that it is constructed as described above the vehicle body rear side portion of the canopy (11) is stretched Top drive. In claim 1,
When the bent link (22) is changed from a bent position to a linearly extended position between the bent link (22) and the rear side frame (16), the bent link (22) Is restricted from being bent to the side opposite to the bending direction in the bending posture, and the link (22) is changed in posture from the extended posture to the bent posture. At this time, the convertible top drive device is provided with a posture restricting portion (7) for restricting the bending link (22) from being bent beyond the bending posture.

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