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US 7,621,583 B2Granted
Retractable hardtop with extended buttresses and an active rear window
AssigneeMagna Car Top Systems GmbH
InventorsRobert E. Fallis, III, Michael T. Willard, Robert D. Wiechowski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A retractable hardtop for a vehicle is disclosed that includes a unitary roof panel, an active rear window and a four bar link. The four bar link includes a pair of buttress panels and a pair of rear rails that are connected to the roof panel and the vehicle. No structural members of the retractable hard top interconnect the lower portion of the buttress panels or the rear rails between the pivot connections to the roof and the pivot connections to the vehicle.
Claims20
A retractable hard top for a vehicle, the vehicle having a decklid that covers a rear compartment of the vehicle and is pivoted between an open position and a closed position on a rear edge of the decklid, wherein the decklid has a pair of clearance slots, the retractable hard top comprising:
- a roof panel spanning a passenger compartment of the vehicle and extending longitudinally from a windshield header to a rear window and transversely across the vehicle;
- a pair of buttress panels projecting rearwardly of the rear window at a lower end extend through the clearance slots of the decklid and are provided on opposite sides of the roof panel, wherein each buttress panel is pivotally attached to the vehicle on the lower end;
- a pair of buttress-to-roof links pivotally attached to the roof panel;
- a pair of rear rails that are provided on opposite sides of the roof panel, wherein each rear rail is pivotally connected to the vehicle on a lower end at a location that is spaced from the point at which the buttress panel is attached to the vehicle and is pivotally attached on an upper end where the buttress-to-roof link is attached to the roof panel;
- a rear window that is shifted from a closed position in which the window extends from the roof downwardly to the vehicle and an open position in which the rear window is retracted downwardly into the vehicle;
- and
- wherein as the decklid is raised the clearance slots allow the front edge of the decklid to move from a position adjacent to the bottom of the buttress panels to a position above the buttress panels, the rear window being retracted from the closed position to the open position, the buttress panels being pivoted about the lower ends thereof rearwardly to an inverted position, and the roof panel being pivoted relative to the upper end of the buttress panels to a storage position extending between and above the buttress panels.
4 more elements
A retractable hard top system for a vehicle comprising:
- a one-piece roof panel having a top side;
- an active rear window that engages the roof panel in a closed position and is retracted into the vehicle in an open position;
- a pair of four bar linkages on opposite lateral sides of the vehicle including right and left buttress panels projecting rearwardly of the rear window at a lower end, right and left rear rails;
- right and left buttress-to-roof links, a main pivot bracket pivotally connected to the buttress panels at a main pivot, and a rear rail pivot bracket pivotally connected to the rear rails at a rear rail pivot, wherein the four bar linkages move the roof panel between an extended position and a stored position, wherein the buttress panels and the rear rails are inverted as they move between the extended and retracted positions and the top side of the roof panel remains in the same top side up orientation as the top is moved between the extended and retracted positions.
1 more element
A retractable hard top for a vehicle comprising:
- a roof panel spanning a passenger compartment of the vehicle and extending longitudinally from a windshield header to a rear window and transversely across the vehicle;
- a pair of buttress panels projecting rearwardly of the rear window at a lower end are pivotally connected to opposite sides of the roof panel and each buttress panel is pivotally attached to the vehicle on the lower end, and wherein the pair of buttress panels are not interconnected by any part of the retractable hard top at the lower portion of the buttress panels to the location where the buttress panels are attached to the vehicle;
- a pair of rear rails are provided on opposite sides of the roof panel, wherein each rear rail is pivotally connected to the vehicle on a lower end at a location that is spaced from the point at which the buttress panel is attached to the vehicle and is pivotally attached on an upper end to the roof panel;
- the rear window is shifted from a closed position in which the window extends from the roof downwardly to the vehicle and an open position in which the rear window is retracted downwardly into the vehicle;
- and
- wherein clearance between the buttress panels in a stored position is provided by the lack of any interconnecting structure of the retractable hard top between the lower portions of the buttress panels to the location where the buttress panels are attached to the vehicle and below the roof panel which reduces the vertical space required for storage of the retractable hard top below the roof panel to the thickness of the roof panel.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.