Hatch operating mechanism

A hatch operating mechanism arranged to control opening and closing movements of a hatch for covering an opening in a vehicle, comprising:

• a first arm and a second arm, each rotatably attached to the vehicle at a first end thereof and rotatably attached to the hatch at a second end thereof;
• and
• a first connecting element and a second connecting element, each extending between and displaceable relative to a pair of spaced apart, parallel guides fixed to the hatch, the pair of spaced apart, parallel guides comprising an upper guide and a lower guide, with the upper guide either being continuous or having two linearly arranged discontinuous upper guide portions, and the lower guide either being continuous or having two linearly arranged discontinuous lower guide portions, wherein the second ends of the first and second arms are rotatably attached, respectively, to the first connecting element and the second connecting element;
• wherein the first arm and the second arm are in mirrored positions relative to a plane of symmetry located at right angles relative to longitudinal axes of the guides;
• b wherein each of the first arm and the second arm comprises a shaft at the first end b thereof, the shafts being in a common plane, with the shafts having axes at equal and opposite angles relative to the plane of symmetry;
• wherein the first arm is configured to rotate in a first direction over a first arcuate path about the shaft of the first arm, and the second arm is configured to simultaneously rotate in an opposing second direction over a second arcuate path about the shaft of the second arm;
• and
• wherein the first connecting element and the second connecting element are configured to move in a reciprocating manner along the guides during rotation of the first arm and the second arm.