Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Daimler-benz Ag

Daimler Ag

Daimler Chrysler Ag

Martin Guckel

Jurgen Schrader

Klaus P Claar

Helmut Rottler

Juergen Schrader

Andreas Bonne

Peer-Olaf Kober

Walter Cornel

Bernhard Schenk

Peter Robitschko

Rudi Kneib

Eckart Schuler

Thomas Graf

Klaus-Peter Claar

Gunther Weikert

Harald Koppenstein

Horst Holzhauer

Andreas Zygan

Stefan Orth

Bernd Wilms

Karl Koster

Andreas Breuling

Klaus Claan

Jurgen Schnader

Karl-Heinz Kroboth

Erich Heidt

Jürgen Schrader

A roof module includes a support designed as a closed frame, to which a roof cladding element is fitted and these two components are made to form an assembly by an adhesive bead and joined by a molding made of a material that can be applied while being curable, preferably a thermoplastic polymer. In order to compensate thermal stresses caused by different coefficients of thermal expansion of the components, the molding has contact regions towards the support or the roof cladding element where there is no adhesion between the molding and the component.

Roof module

A folding top for a motor vehicle is provided. The folding top includes a rear roof part which delimits a window opening for a rear window and which is displaceable about a main pivot axis in order to transfer the folding top from a closed position into a storage position. The rear window is pivotable relative to the rear roof part about a window pivot axis which extends at a distance from the main pivot axis. The rear window bears against the rear roof part from the outside when the folding top is in the closed position and, after the folding top has been transferred into its storage position, is moved at least by way of a partial region through the window opening.

Folding top for a motor vehicle

A convertible is provided with a roof construction which has at least one roof part and a rear window part. The construction can be at least partially deposited in a trunk space in an opening position in the rear area of the vehicle under a rear opening hood. To provide an opening which exposes the trunk space toward the rear, the rear opening hood is laterally linked, in each case by a guiding linkage, along a first forward swivelling axis to a lateral auxiliary frame. Two lateral auxiliary frames are supported on the vehicle body side in the lower rear area of the vehicle behind the first swivelling axis, in each case, by an additional control arm which, by way of a point of rotation, is connected with the pertaining auxiliary frame. At least one of the two auxiliary frames can be connected by way of a releasable locking element with the motor vehicle body. In the rear area, the rear opening hood is connected by a second rearward swivelling axis with the vehicle body for depositing the roof construction. The second swivelling axis is provided with a locking device for the rear opening hood. This locking device can be released for providing an opening which exposes the trunk space toward the rear.

Convertible

A folding roof arrangement for a motor vehicle is provided with a folding cover whose forward end is fastened to a transversely extending roof cap which can be locked by way of locking members on the motor vehicle body when the roof is closed. The folding roof arrangement is provided with lateral folding top frames with which the roof cap is displaceably connected. The locking members have closing members which are arranged on the roof cap and which are applied to tensioning elements arranged on the motor vehicle body. The locking members displace the roof cap in the x-direction toward the front relative to the folding top frames for end position locking.

Folding roof arrangement for a motor vehicle having a folding cover

The invention relates to a folding top for motor vehicles, having a top frame which comprises lateral top supports and a rear hoop. The top has a storage position of the top in an associated top box, into which it can be lowered by folding back the upright top supports about a main axis. The top frame has an articulation, spaced relative to the main axis, of the lateral legs of the rear hoop on the frame members which are jointly moved via the top supports, whereby the rear hoop is displaced backwards relative to the main axis during the lowering process, and having a rearward widening of the top box behind the top box aperture into which the rear hoop projects when the top is lowered. In order that incorrect operation during manual lowering of the top should be reliably prevented, the top supports of the top are retained, when the rear hoop is upright, via locking devices which prevent their folding-back movement and whose locking action can be cancelled by an advance rearward pivoting movement of the rear hoop, the pivot angle of the advance being such that, when the top supports are subsequently folded back, contact-free dipping of the rear hoop through the top box aperture is guaranteed.

Folding top for motor vehicles

The invention relates to a link element of variable effective supporting length for the spring drive of a pivoting component, especially for the pivoting drive of a structural member of a vehicle folding top, which is articulated at a distance from the pivot axis of the pivoting component at one end on the pivoting component and at its other end on a countercomponent. The link element comprises an accumulator spring which can expand, with a change of the supporting length, and which can be regenerated by means of a backward pivoting movement of the pivoting component. The link element comprises a rigid link which is articulated elastically on the connecting component via the accumulator spring, with the result that the effective supporting length is variable within narrow limits.

Link element of variable effective supporting length for the spring

A retractable folding top for motor vehicles, having a top frame which comprises a material retaining hoop forming the lower termination of the top, and a top storage box for accommodating the folded top. The top storage box can be closed by a top storage box lid, following which it is held shut by a closure. The top has a position of rest of the material retaining hoop on the top storage box lid when the top is closed, in which the material retaining hoop is noncontinuously connected to the top storage box lid via a closure arrangement. To simplify operation, the closure arrangement between the material retaining hoop and the top storage box lid has only a single closure which is arranged in the central region of the overlap zone between the top storage box lid and the material retaining hoop.

Retractable folding top for motor vehicles

The invention relates to a folding top for motor vehicles with a dimensionally stable rear window which, when the top is opened, can be folded down from an upright, position of use into a flat position of non-use. The top cover encloses the rear window and is connected along the lower edge side of the rear window and laterally thereto to a material retaining section arranged at the lower termination of the top. The rear window exhibits an axis of articulation extending approximately parallel to the lower edge side of the rear window which is displaced rearwards relative to the material retaining section during movement of the rear window toward a position of non-use. The axis of articulation is arranged to be displaceable to ensure the displaceability of the rear window. In order also to permit appropriate rearward displacement of the rear window with top arrangements in which the lower edge side of the rear window extends at a relatively short distance from the material retaining hoop when the top is closed, the top cover is provided on both sides of the rear window with a fabric zone of variable length, the fabric zones being capable of being drawn apart by the rearward displacement of the rear window when the folding top is laid flat and being capable of shortening to their initial length when the folding top is erected into the closed position of use.

A manually operable folding top for vehicles has a folded stowed position of the open top in a folding-top compartment covered by a folding-top compartment lid. In an unfolded use position of the closed top, the folding-top covering is stretched between a roof cap on the front end of the top and a fabric-holding hoop at the rear end of the top, A closure arrangement which can be unlocked, remote-controllably from the interior of the vehicle, comprises a plurality of closures, via which the folding-top compartment lid is held closed and the fabric-holding hoop is held down in the position in which it rests on the folding-top compartment lid. In order to obtain greater constructional freedom in the selection of the operating point, the closure arrangement has only automatic-ejection snap-action closures, each of which can be released via a motorized actuating drive. The actuating drives are activated via the actuation of a switch arrangement in order to release the closures.

Manually operable folding top for vehicles using automatic-ejection

A folding hood for motor vehicles has a hood frame supporting the hood cover and being fordable to an open position in order to stretch the hood cover, and a reinforcement of the stretched hood cover, adjoining a strut supporting the cover, by way of a shaping shell mounted between the strut and the hood cover. Because of its dimensional rigidity, the cover interacts in a shaping manner with the hood cover resting flat thereon. The shaping shell is positioned under the hood cover via a tensile connecting device extending transversely to the strut and stretched tightly when the hood frame is folded open. In order to permit a space-saving storage position of the folding hood even with a larger-sized shaping shell the shaping shell is transversely deformable, in a flexurally resilient manner, about a longitudinal axis extending along its bearing position on the strut. When the folding hood is open, the shaping is retained in a relaxed initial position. The shaping shell can only be bent into its shaping position of use by way of the tensioning advance of the tensile connecting devices when the folding hood is closed.

Motor vehicle folding hood

A motor vehicle folding hood has a hood part which rests on a bodywork component when the hood is closed and is connected thereto via locking apparatus. A pivot mounting of the hood part is provided on a further hood part on the side opposite to the locking side, about the bearing axis of which the hood part can be swung up into a lift-off position after unlocking thereof, as well as automatic pivot drive of the unlocked hood part via a spring loading. A drive device for the spring-loaded drive, which is regenerated after the downward pivoting of the hood part into its bearing position, is supported on the mutually connected end regions of the two hood parts at a moment distance from the bearing axis. In order to be able to provide a more compact configuration of the articulated connection between the lockable hood part and the hood part adjacent thereto, the drive device for the spring-loaded drive is configured as a supporting arrangement with limited longitudinal variability which is arranged below the bearing axis and is supported by opposite ends on the hood parts. The supporting arrangement operates with enlargement of its regenerated supporting length.

Folding hood for motor vehicles

The invention relates to a folding top for vehicles having a dimensionally stable rear window which, when the top is pushed back, can be folded down from an upright position of use into a stowed position displaced to the rear. Sliding control of the rear window during the stowing operation is provided via a strut of the top frame. The central region of the strut rests against the underneath of the top cover in front of the rear window when the top is closed and overlaps the rear window in its swung-back end position. A coupling device is provided for transmitting movement by means of which the rear window and the strut are connected to one another, in each case at a distance from their pivot axis. In order to make possible a rearward displacement of the rear window when stowing the folding top, largely independently of the lowering of the rear window relative to a material retaining profile, the coupling device includes tie members unstable under bending loads, which connect the rear window in the region of its front window edge to the central region of the strut. After a free movement the tie members are stable under tension only when a final phase of the rearward swinging movement of the strut is reached, after which the rear window participates in the rearward transverse advance of the central region and is moved positively into its pushed-back end position.

Folding top for vehicle

An intermediate folding top bow is fastened, via cantilevers arranged at its ends, to lateral roof-frame parts of a vehicle folding-top structure. During the opening operation of the folding-top structure, the intermediate bow is pivotable out of a tensioning position directed forwardly into a stowage position directed rearwardly. To make it possible to ensure that the intermediate bow will be stowed automatically and without being damaged, the intermediate bow is loaded during the opening of the folding top with a pivoting effect by a separate working element so that starting from its tensioning position, the intermediate bow is driven beyond a dead center between its tensioning position and its stowage position.

Folding top intermediate bow

A theft protection system for an installation unit recessed in an installation passage protects the installation unit mechanically and by an electrically initiated alarm by permitting the installation to be pulled out of the installation passage to a distance limited mechanically by a movable protection stop and by actuating an electrical theft protection contact within this distance by utilizing the relative motion between the installation unit as an installation retention arrangement and the installation passage to initiate the alarm.

Growing community of inventors

Wiernsheim, Germany

Martin Guckel