Mazda Motor Corporation

Webasto Ag

Asmo Co., Ltd.

Mazda Co., Ltd.

Webasto Se

Nishikawa Rubber Co., Ltd.

Kozo Odoi

Seiichi Omoto

Tomoaki Matsunobu

Tatsuo Maeda

Shigeki Hiyama

Tatsuya Tamura

Ryuji Nonaka

Koji Sawahata

Kazukiyo Okada

Bernhard Meier

Akira Tsunoda

Takahiko Tanaka

Kenji Matsumoto

Takahito Yokouchi

Motoki Yoshida

Shinji Nishikawa

Hirotoshi Mimura

Masaya Horikawa

Tsukasa Butsuen

Shinya Matsui

Minoru Okamura

Shoji Sekimoto

Akira Akatsu

Tsutomu Yoshinari

Nobuyuki Yamamoto

Sigeki Okabe

Akefumi Takeda

Takahiko Akamatsu

Shigeki Akamatsu

Sadamu Nisiguchi

Tsuchida Eiji

Bernhard Alois Meier

Akio Yamada

An output shaft to which the rotational force of a motor is transferred is housed in a case. One end side of the output shaft protrudes from a side surface of the case. A pinion gear is fixed to one end side of the output shaft. Teeth that mesh with the pinion gear are formed on the outer circumferential surface of cables. Cable guide surfaces for guiding the cables to mesh with the pinion gear are provided on the side surface of the case.

Driving device

A link mechanism capable of setting any desirable speed of opening/closing a lid during a series of the opening/closing operation and capable of exerting a strong driving force is provided. A lid () is attached to a lid bracket (). The lid bracket () is pivotally connected to a driving lever () and a coupled-driving lever () with which the lid () is opened or closed. The driving lever () is provided with a cam having an elongated hole (), into which a driving pin () provided to a sector gear () is fitted. The sector gear () is driven by a motor through a pinion (). According to rotation of the sector gear (), the driving pin () moves in the elongated hole () and drives the driving lever (). Since the distance between the center of the sector gear () and the driving pin () is larger than the radius of the pinion (), such mechanism exerts a strong driving force.

Link mechanism

A retractable roof includes a roof memberincluding a front roof panel, a back roof panel, and a linkage mechanismfor alternately chaining the position of the roof memberbetween an in-use position and a storage position. The back roof panelis pivotally connected to the front roof paneland a car body side memberto function as a first link of a four-bar link constituted by the first link and a second link.

Retractable roof and vehicle including the same

A retractable roof includes a roof memberincluding a front roof panel, a back roof panel, and a linkage mechanismfor alternately chaining the position of the roof memberbetween an in-use position and a storage position. The retractable roof further includes an adjusting mechanismfor adjusting the geometry in the in-use state of the linkage mechanismby changing the angle of the turning direction of one of linksincluded in the linkage mechanismin the in-use state.

To reliably prevent lifting of a roof panel when the roof panel is fully closed. To provide a roof panel () to a vehicle body () capable of opening/closing a vehicle cabin space (), a link mechanism () for supporting the roof panel () at the vehicle body () having a front connecting link () rotatably connected to both of the vehicle body () and the roof panel (), and a rear connecting link () rotatably connected to both of the vehicle body () and the roof panel () at rear side of a vehicle relative to front connecting link (), and link restricting mechanism () for restricting the rear connecting link () to the vehicle body () when the roof panel () is in fully closed state over the vehicle cabin space ().

Opening/closing device for roof panel

A retractable roof includes a front roof panel, a back roof panel formed by joining outer and inner panel layers to each other, a lower link pivotally connected to a vehicle body member, an upper link pivotally connected to the front roof panel, and an intermediate link rigidly connected to each of the lower link and the upper link. The intermediate link is placed in between the outer and inner panel layers of the back roof panel.

Retractable roof and vehicle therewith

A manufacturing method for a foldable convertible top assembly in which a window plate is connected to a sheet material by a resin connecting element. The frame member has a predetermined transverse cross-sectional shape formed by hardening a liquid-form synthetic resin at the outer peripheral edge of the window plate. The outer peripheral edge of the window plate is attached to the resin connecting element and the foldable sheet material is also attached to the connecting element.

Method of manufacturing a convertible top assembly

A sliding roof includes a light transmitting sliding sunroof and a light isolating sliding sunshade disposed beneath the sunroof. The light transmitting sliding sunroof opens a roof opening only while the light isolating sliding sunshade is in its open position. Also, the light isolating sliding sunshade closes the roof opening only while the light transmission sliding sunroof is in its closed position. Damage to the light isolating sliding sunshade, therefore, is prevented.

Sliding roof for an automobile

A vehicular sun roofing apparatus including a roofing panel (3) for tilting up and sliding and a sunshade member (4) for sliding is provided to open/close an opening (2) formed on a vehicular roof (1). The panel (3) is operated by an electrical means in response to input acts on a panel open/close switch (19, 20), and the sunshade (4) is operated by an electrical means in response to input acts on a sunshade switch (21, 22), wherein control devices (23, 40) for actions of the panel (3) and sunshade (4) are provided, and an ON act on the panel opening switch (19) causes not only opening action of the panel (3), but also selective opening action of the sunshade (4) to arrive at a predetermined point, depending on a location of the sunshade (3) at the switched moment.

Sunshade open/close control devices for vehicular sun roofing apparatus

In 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, there is formed a roof opening large in size in such a manner as leaving a front header, a pair of left-hand and right-hand roof side rails, and a rear header and being surrounded by said four members. A foldable flexible top having a size as substantially large as the roof opening is provided. The flexible top is disposed to selectively take a first posture in which the roof opening is closed and a second posture in which it is contracted in a longitudinal direction of the body and placed in a contracted state, i.e., in a folded state, at a position nearby said rear header. Underneath the flexible top in the second posture, a board member supporting the flexible top is disposed, and the board member is movable between the second posture and a third posture rearward of the second posture by means of a guiding device consisting of a link mechanism and so on while the board member supports the flexible top. The third posture is set at a position in a vicinity of a lower end portion of the rear window glass panel.

Flexible top apparatus of a vehicle

A drive device for opening and closing a vehicle top includes a pair of control devices each fixed in the side of the vehicle body, a falling pillar swingably supporting the vehicle top on the vehicle body and a pair of extendable link mechanisms that include link rods which are inclinable and which couple a swinging arm of the respective control device with the falling pillar. Each of the control devices includes a housing in which is rotatably positioned at least a portion of an output shaft for rotating the swinging arm, a driving device attached to the housing and generating a rotary driving force, a first reduction gear stage formed as a worm drive which is coupled with the driving device and which is housed in the housing, and a second reduction gear stage formed as a spur gear drive which is coupled with the worm drive for driving the output shaft and which is housed in the housing. A clutch disk is positioned on a gear shaft of a transmission gear in an axially movable manner and the clutch disk is substantially rotationally fixedly positioned on the gear shaft. The transmission gear forms a part of the spur gear drive. The clutch disk includes a connecting arrangement located in a side thereof for generating a claw clutch engagement with a connecting arrangement formed in a side of the transmission gear. A transferring device transfers movement of the transferring device to the clutch disk along the gear shaft in order to engage and disengage the claw clutch engagement.

Drive equipment for opening and closing of a vehicle top

An electric driving device for openable members in which an openable member is opened and closed by rotation of driving shafts provided on right and left sides. The device includes a motor which rotates the driving shafts via a reduction mechanism, and switching relays which switch the rotational direction of the motor. Open and close command switches command the opening and closing of the openable member and a rotation synchronization sensor associated with the motor generates pulses synchronized with the rotation of the motor. A mechanical stopper limits the rotation of the driving shaft which is rotated via the reduction mechanism of the motor and a motor lock detecting means detects locking of the motor by detecting the pulse width generated by the rotation synchronization sensor. Also, an actuation stopping arrangement stops the actuation of an actuation device which supplies current to the motor if a signal is generated by the detection apparatus that detects locking of the motor.

Electric-driving device for openable members

A convertible vehicle body including a first door weatherstrip for sealing engagement with a front pillar and a second weatherstrip mounted on the front pillar within the vehicle body and formed with a water pocket.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Kozo Odoi