Sliding and venting sunroof
AssigneeSky-Top Sunroofs, Ltd.
InventorsLeonard DiCarlo, Robert J. Reese
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sliding and venting sunroof includes a perforated tape drive system, an overlapping groove panel positioning device and a "one-touch" power sunroof control. The drive system uses a single gear to drive two tapes. The overlapping groove mechanism includes a fixed plate with a groove therein, a slidable plate with a groove therein, and a lift arm with a pin that can simultaneously ride in both grooves. The sunroof control does not allow sunroof closing in the absence of a continuous indication from an operator that the sunroof is to be closed, but allows full opening by instantaneous indication from an operator.
Claims39
An assembly for moving a cover with respect to an opening, said assembly comprising:
- a) a housing defining a first guide groove;
- and
- b) means for movably mounting said cover on said housing;
- said means for movably mounting comprising:
- i) a stop plate mounted on said housing, said stop plate having groove portions defining a continuation and termination of said first guide groove;
- ii) a slide plate mounted on said housing for sliding movement, said slide plate having portions defining a second guide groove;
- iii) a lift arm pivotally attached to said slide plate and operatively connected to said cover;
- and
- iv) a first pin attached to said lift arm, and, during sliding movement of said slide plate, for slidingly riding simultaneously in said first guide groove and in said second guide groove, and for entering into and exiting from said groove portions defining said continuation and termination of said first guide groove, so that while simultaneously riding inn said second guide groove and in said groove portions defining said continuation and termination of said first guide groove, said first pin pivots said lift arm to move said cover, said first guide groove remaining stationary during movement of said first pin in relation thereto.
A mechanism for moving a cover with respect to a housing defining an opening, said mechanism comprising:
- i) a track associated with said housing;
- ii) a stop plate mounted on said housing, said stop plate having portions defining a first guide groove providing a continuation and termination of said track;
- iii) a slide plate mounted for sliding movement in said track of said housing, said slide plate having portions defining a second guide groove;
- iv) a lift arm attached to said cover and pivotally attached to said slide plate;
- and
- v) a first pin mounted on said lift arm, said first pin having portions projecting into said second guide groove, and having other portions projecting into said track, so that said first pin simultaneously tracks said second guide groove and said track during sliding movement of said slide plate, said other portions of said first pin:
- a) entering into said first guide groove, simultaneously tracking said second guide groove and said first guide groove, and exiting from said first guide groove, during sliding movement of said slide plate;
- and
- b) pivoting said lift arm while simultaneously tracking said second guide groove and said first guide groove, said track remaining stationary during movement of said first pin in relation thereto.
The mechanism as recited in claim 38, wherein said longitudinal axis of said track is generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of said third guide groove.
The mechanism as recited in claim 35, further comprising means for suppressing vertical movement of said lift arm from said slide plate in said track of said housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.