Daimler-benz Ag

Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Daimler-berg Ag

Theodor Bauer

Gerhard Zweigart

Jurgen Schrader

Kurt Gramer

A folding top for vehicles has a common pivoting drive of a main strut and of a roof-skin retaining bow via mechanical drive members, by means of which pivoting drive of the folding top can be transferred from a stowed position retracted into a top box into a closed position, in which the roof-skin retaining bow rests on the top-box lid located in a covering position thereof. An automatically controlled lock of the main strut relative to the vehicle body in its erected end position is provided and associated with its uncoupling from the driving movement of the drive members. For locking the main strut fixedly to the vehicle body, there are catch devices which are assigned to the top columns and the catching advance of the which starts only after the erected end position of the main strut has already been reached, and the uncoupling from the driving movement of the drive members is activated via the catching advance of the catch means only when the main strut has been locked.

Folding top for vehicles

The invention relates to a top framework of a folding top for vehicles, which comprises a trapezoidal main bow, which can pivot about a horizontally extending vehicle transverse axis. On both sides of the main bow in each case there is provided an at least one-piece lateral roof frame and a front roof frame interconnecting the lateral roof frames such that they can be deflected transversely outwards. The lateral roof frames are coupled to the main bow by further framework members in such a way that, during the shifting of the upright main bow, they are forcibly controlled into a stowage position near to the obliquely inclined strut sections of the lateral struts of the main bow. In order to retain substanially the width of the passenger compartment of the vehicle when the top is folded back, the inclined strut sections of the main bow run with an inward offset with respect to the lateral contour of the vehicle and clearly more steeply, and on the outside of the strut sections there is arranged on both sides of the vehicle a roof skin retaining rail which can be transferred from a stretching position lying essentially flush with the surface plane of the side wall into a folding position moved closer to the assigned strut section.

Top framework of a folding top for vehicles

The invention relates to a folding top for vehicles, which comprises a main bow which can pivot about a vehicle transverse axis. At each vehicle side a control arm is assigned to the respective two lateral struts of the top of the main bow serving as component parts of a top framework covered by means of a flexible roof skin. Roof skin retaining rails for tightening the roof skin are arranged on the outside of the struts of the top. These retaining rails are capable of being transferred by means of automatic adjustment mechanisms from a stretching position, spread apart from the struts of the top, which is the case when the main bow is upright and in which position the lower ends of the roof skin retaining rails rest against the side-boards of the associated structure, into a folding position nearer the struts during the course of the swing-back movement of the main bow. In order to avoid disturbing grinding noises during the course of the folding operation, as well as damage to visible side-board surfaces, it is provided that the adjustment mechanisms are arranged independently of the side-boards and are forcibly controlled by utilizing the relative movement between the struts of the top and the control arms taking place during the shifting of the main bow.

A foldable frame of the present invention is provided for supporting a convertible top of a vehicle having a tonneau space. The foldable frame is movable between a retracted and an extended position and includes a main hoop mounted to respective opposite sides of the vehicle for pivotable movement about a transverse axis of the vehicle, a pair of main guide rods, a pair of foldable roof side frames, a pair of roof frame guide rods for controlling the movement of the front members of each of the foldable roof side frames, and an intermediate hoop situated intermediate the roof front frame and the main hoop. The main hoop is of substantially trapezoidal shape and inculdes a pair of laterally spaced-apart diverging side members. The ends of the intermediate hoop are coupled to one of the roof frame guide rods for pivotable movement in relation thereto so that the length of the intermediate hoop is variable during retraction and extension of the foldable frame. The main guide rod is deflectable along a transverse axis of the vehicle so that each pair of roof side frame members is aligned in side-by-side relation with its companion inclined side member of the main hoop when the fold frame is moved to its retracted position. The tonneau space is increased when the foldable frame is fully retracted since the tonneau space is determined substantially by the diverging outwardly-canted side members of the trapezoidally shaped main hoop instead of the more narrow space between the substantially spaced-apart parallel roof side frames.

Convertible top for vehicles, particulary for motor cars

A hoop arrangement for foldable tops of automotive vehicles which includes a bow-shaped main hoop connected to the top and a bow-shaped corner hoop provided at the top at a spacing from the main hoop for tightening the closed top at an outermost corner thereof. The corner hoop is pivotably supported with its two free ends each at a crank arm with the crank arm being arranged to be pivotable about the pivot point of the main hoop. The corner hoop is connected, at a spacing from its point of articulation to the crank arm, by way of a joint to a guide arm which hingedly engages at the main hoop at a spacing from its pivot point. The joint between the guide arm and the corner hoop cooperates, at least when the top is almost opened up, with a curved guide means which has an ascending slope in a direction pointing away from the pivot point of the main hoop.

Growing community of inventors

Altenriet, Germany

Theodor Bauer