Slide tilt roof apparatus

A slide tilt roof apparatus comprising:

• a panel for opening and closing an opening in a vehicle roof;
• a pair of right and left lifters mounted on an inner face of said panel, each of said lifters having a rising/falling cam groove;
• right and left guide rails for longitudinally slidably guiding a front portion of the lifters, said guide rails being fixed to the vehicle roof;
• a rising/falling link which is supported at intermediate and rear end portions thereof on each of the right and left guide rails and which slidably engages the rising/falling cam groove of each lifter at a front end thereof;
• a slider for longitudinally moving the rising/falling link forward for producing an upward tilting of the panel from a closed position, and for longitudinally moving the rising/falling link rearward and pivoting it downward at the front end for producing a downward tilting of the panel from the closed position into a lowered position, and thereafter moving the cover into a fully open position by a rearward movement of the rising/falling link;
• wherein an engagement portion is provided on a rear side of the rising/falling link;
• wherein a rise/fall retaining portion is provided on a support member which is slidably guided by each guide rail for a longitudinal movement, the rise/fall retaining portion rearwardly upwardly guiding the engagement portion when the rising/falling link pivots downward at the front end and retaining the rising/falling link when the rising/falling link is moved rearwardly;
• and wherein the rise/fall retaining portion defines a guide surface for guiding the engagement portion forwardly downward, causing the link to pivot into an erected state.