GB2215393A

GB2215393A - Latch for vehicle sun roofs

Info

Publication number: GB2215393A
Application number: GB8822229A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek Holt Cropper
Original assignee: TKD IND Ltd
Current assignee: TKD IND Ltd
Priority date: 1988-03-08
Filing date: 1988-09-21
Publication date: 1989-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-21
Also published as: GB8822229D0; GB2215393B; GB8805440D0

Abstract

A vehicle sun roof comprises an outer frame 2, Fig 5, for fitting in a vehicle roof aperture and a closure panel 1 hinged to the frame. A latch for holding the panel closed and in a plurality of open positions, comprises two arcuate levers 7 pivoted at one end to the panel and a handle 26 pivotally connected at one end to the frame. The other ends of the levers (7) are connected to the handle intermediate its ends and each connection between a lever and the handle comprises a boss 18, Fig 5 on a respective side of the handle which is received in a recess (21) in the other end of the lever. Each boss 18 has a series of depressions 19 in its side walls and each recess 21 has one or two pins 23 engageable in the depressions to hold the levers and the handle in any desired position to which they have been moved. Each pin can be forced out of a depression and into a boss when the handle is moved. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: LATCH MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE SUN ROOFS This invention relates to vehicle sun roofs and is particularly concerned with latch mechanisms for such sun roofs.

One requirement of a vehicle sun roof is that it should be movable between a fully closed position and an open position in which it is inclined upwardly to leave a gap between the rear edge of a roof panel of the sun roof and the remainder of the roof of the vehicle. In order to achieve this, the panel is usually hinged at its front edge to a surrounding frame as illustrated, for example, in British Patent Specification lilo. 2129048. 1- A disadvantage with a large number of known vehicle sun roofs is that they are only capable of being moved between the closed and the fully tilted open position or between the closed and one or two intermediate positions as well as the fully tilted open position.

The present invention aims to provide a sun roof in which the panel can be tilted to a large number of intermediate positions between the closed and fullytilted open positions.

According to the invention, there is provided a vehicle sun roof comprising an outer frame adapted to be fitted to the roof of a vehicle in an aperture of said roof designed to accommodate said frame and a closure panel hingedly connected to the frame, a latch mechanism being provided for holding the closure panel in a closed position on the frame and for maintaining the closure panel in a plurality of open positions, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a pair of arcuate levers adapted to be pivotally connected, at one end, to the closure panel and a handle member adapted to be pivotally connected, at one end, to the frame, the other ends of the arcuate levers being connected to the handle member intermediate the ends thereof and each connection between a respective lever and the handle member comprising a boss on one of the said other end of the lever or a side of the handle member which is receivable in a recess provided in the other of the said other end of the lever 'or the side of the handle member, each boss having a series of substantially equi-spaced depressions in its side walls and each recess having at least one projection which is engageable in said depressions to hold the levers and handle member in any desired position to which they have been moved, the arrangement being such that the projections can be forced out of the depressions in which they are located and into a respective adjacent depression in the side walls of each respective boss when the handle member is moved.

The bosses are preferably provided on the sides of the handle member and the recesses in the said other ends of the arcuate levers.

Any number of projections may be provided in each recess although one or two are preferred.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each arcuate lever is made of a synthetic plastics material and is provided with a cylindrical recess and the or each projection takes the form of a pin located in the side wall of the recess to project radially into the recess. Each pin is desirably made of a suitable metallic material such as aluminium or steel.

Preferably, the recess of each lever is defined by a cylinder which is secured to or formed integrally with a respective lever at one side thereof and extends substantially transversely to the major length of the lever over substantially the entire thickness thereof.

The cylinder of each lever may be surrounded by a further cylinder which is spaced from the outer sides of the first-mentioned cylinder. A circular spring ring may be inserted between the two cylinders.

Preferably, each boss is of polygonal section with a concave depression in each of its side walls adapted to receive a respective pin. In order to assist movement of the handle member relative to the arcuate levers, the corners of the polygonal bosses may be slightly rounded.

The polygons preferably take the form of regular hexagons although this is not essential.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a vehicle sun roof according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of the sun roof taken on the line II-II in Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a section, corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the roof closure panel in an open position; Fig. 4 is an elevation of one embodiment of a latch mechanism for a sun roof according to the invention, taken in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line V-V in Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line VI-VI in Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section, corresponding to Fig.

5, but showing a modification; and Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7 in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, the vehicle sun roof according to the invention comprises a closure panel 1 which is hingedly mounted on an outer frame 2. The closure panel is preferably made of a transparent or translucent material such as glass or a synthetic plastics material, e.g. a polycarbonate or polyacrylate although the panel may, if desired, be made of an opaque material.

The outer frame 2 is adapted to be fitted into an opening cut into a vehicle roof (not shown) and the frame fitting may be entirely conventional.

Preferably, however, the frame takes the form of the frame described and illustrated in British Patent Specification No. 2129477A to which reference should be made for a full description of the construction of the frame.

The panel 1 is provided, adjacent one edge, with a pair of bores for the reception of respective bosses on a pair of hinge blocks. The hinge blocks are secured to the panel 1 by means of roof fixing mounts provided with heads 3 which bear against the upper surface of the panel and with shanks which are receivable in bores in the respective bosses. The hinge blocks are secured to the fixing mounts by means of screws whereby the panel 1 is held between the heads 3 of the fixing mounts and the hinge blocks.

This arrangement is described and illustrated in British Patent Specification No. 2129048n to which reference should be made for a full description of hinges which are suitable for use in the sun roof forming the subject of the present invention.

The panel 1 is further provided, adjacent the opposite edge, with another pair of bores for the reception of fixing mounts 4 by means of which a mounting strip 5 is secured to the underside of the panel 1. The mounting strip 5 is provided with a stub shaft 6 at each end on which one end of a respective arcuate lever 7 is pivotally mounted.

A mounting plate 8 is secured to the frame 2 by means of screws 9 and this plate carries at each end a respective ear 11 which projects inwardly into the area defined by the frame 2. Each ear 11 is provided with a respective bore adjacent its inwardly projecting end for the reception of a respective pin 12. The two pins are mounted in a cylindrical bore 13 formed in one end of a handle member 14 and are normally urged away from each other and into the bores in the respective ears 11 by respective coil springs 15.Lugs 16 formed on the ends of the respective pins 12 prevent the pins from being forced out of the cylindrical bore 13 by the force of the springs 15 and also enable the pins to be retracted from the bores in the ears 11, against the force of the springs, when it is desired to detach the handle member 14 from the frame 2 in order that the panel 1 may be removed from the frame in the manner described, for example, in British Patent Specification No. 2129048A. The side wall of the cylindrical bore 13 is provided with two cut-away regions 17 to permit movement of the lugs 16 towards one another against the action of the springs 15.

Each side of the handle member is provided, intermediate the ends of said handle member, with a hexagonal boss 18 (see Fig. 5) having arcuate concave depressions 19 and rounded corners 20. The other end of each arcuate lever 7 is provided with a cylindrical recess 21, each recess being adapted to receive a respective hexagonal boss 18 on the handle member 14 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The recess 21 is defined by an annulus 22 which is secured to or formed integrally with the lever 7. The annulus 22 is not a complete annul us but a gap is formed in which a pin 23 is located. The pin is engageable in the arcuate concave depressions 19 in the associated boss 18 as also shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

The arcuate levers 7 are preferably made of a suitable plastics material such that the annulus 22 possesses a certain degree of inherent resilience and thus permits radial displacement of the pin 23 when relative rotation takes place between the handle and the levers and hence between the bosses and the recesses. The annulus 22 is surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve 24 formed integrally with the associated lever 7 and spaced from outer wall of the annul us to define therewith an annular recess as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The boss 18 has been omitted from Fig. 6 in the interests of clarity. The open ends of the sleeves 24 may be closed by respective fixing plugs 25 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings but omitted from Figs. 5 and 6, again in the interests of clarity. An aperture is provided in the handle 14 to define a gripping portion 26.

When the closure panel 1 is in the closed position, the various components of the latch mechanism assume the relative positions shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In order to open the closure panel, the gripping portion 26 of the handle is gripped and pulled in a downwards direction. Further movement of the handle member 14, by means of the gripping portion 26, in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3 about the pivot axis formed by the engagement of the pins 12 in the bores in the ears 11 of the mounting plate 8 causes the corners 20 of the hexagonal bosses 18 to force the pins 23 radially outwardly and, at the same time, causes the levers 7 to pivot with respect to the handle member 14 until a position is reached in which the pins 23 click into position in the following concave depressions 19 in the hexagonal bosses 18.During this movement of the handle member, the levers 7 pivot with respect to the mounting plate 5 about the shafts 6. The handle member 14 may continue to be moved in this direction by the gripping portion 26 until the fully open position shown in Fig. 3 is reached when the handle member 1 4 abuts against the frame 2 which thus prevents any further movement. During the course of this movement of the handle member from the closed to the fully open position of the panel 1, relative rotation between the bosses 18 and annuli 22 takes place and the opening movement of the panel therefore proceeds as a series of clicks each representing a position in which the pins 23 engage in the concave depressions 19 in the hexagonal bosses 18.The latch mechanism, and hence the panel, may be left in any desired one of these intermediate positions by virtue of the engagement of the pins 23 in the concave depressions 19 in the hexagonal bosses 18.

The resilient force exerted by the pins 23 may, if desired, be increased by inserting a barrel spring 27 (Fig. 6) in the annular recess between the annulus 22 and the cylindrical sleeve 24.

The closure panel 1 can be moved from the open position shown in Fig. 3 to the closed position shown in Fig. 2 by gripping the gripping portion 26 and moving the handle member 14 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3 to cause the handle member to pivot about the axis formed by the engagement of the pins 12 in the bores in the ears 11 of the mounting plate 8 until said handle member is returned to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

If, however, it is desired to remove the closure panel 1 from the frame 2, the closure panel must first be moved to an open position in which the lugs 16 are readily accessible. These lugs are then moved towards one another, against the action of the springs 15, to withdraw the pins 12 from the bores in the ears 11.

The handle member is then detached from the mounting plate 8 and the hinges can be disengaged from the frame, for example in the manner described in British Patent Specification No. 2129048A, in order that the closure panel may be removed from the frame.

Replacement of the closure panel takes place in the reverse sequence, the hinges being first engaged in the frame in the manner described in British Patent Specification No. 2129048A. The handle member is then positioned, with the lugs 16 engaged to retract the pins 12, such that the pins are aligned with the bores in the ears 11. The lugs 16 can then be released so that the pins 12 engage in the respective bores to secure the closure panel 1 to the frame 2.

In the modified embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, two pins 23 and 23a are provided in the annulus 22 defining the recess 21. The pins are located diametrically opposite to one another. This embodiment is otherwise the same in every respect as the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings but it has been found that the provision of two pins provides more positive and secure operation and is more suitable for larger sun roofs and/or for heavy duty use.

It will be seen that the latch mechanism according to the invention provides a simple and convenient way of maintaining the closure panel of a vehicle sun roof in a plurality of desired positions between a closed position and a fully open position while at the same time permitting ready and easy removal of the closure panel from a surrounding frame if desired.

The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiment but variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the bosses may if desired be mounted on the other ends of the arcuate levers with cylindrical recesses and pins being provided at the sides of the handle member. Further, the bosses need not be hexagonal but may octagonal or have any other suitable polygonal configuration.

Claims

1. A vehicle sun roof comprising an outer frame adapted to be fitted to the roof of a vehicle in,an aperture of said roof designed to accommodate said frame and a closure panel hingedly connected to the frame, a latch mechanism being provided for holding the closure panel in a closed position on the frame and for maintaining the closure panel in a plurality of open positions, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a pair of arcuate levers adapted to be pivotally connected, at one end, to the closure panel and a handle member adapted to be pivotally connected, at one end, to the frame, the other ends of the arcuate levers being connected to the handle member intermediate the ends thereof and each connection between a respective lever and the handle member colaprising a boss on one of the said other end of the lever or a side of the handle member which is receivable in a recess provided in the other of the said other end of the lever or the side of the handle member1 each boss having a series of substantially equi-spaced depressions in its side walls and each recess having at least one projection which is engageable in said depressions to hold the levers and handle member in any desired position to which they have been moved, the arrangement being such that the projections can be forced out of the depressions in which they are located and into a respective adjacent depression in the side walls of each respective boss when the handle member is moved.

2. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 1, wherein the bosses are provided on the sides of the handle member and the recesses are provided in the said other ends of the arcuate levers.

3. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each recess is provided with a single projection.

4. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each recess is substantially cylindrical and is provided with two diametrically opposite projections.

5. A vehicle sun roof according to any preceding claim, wherein each arcuate lever is made of a synthetic plastics material and is provided with a cylindrical recess and wherein the or each projection takes the form of a pin located in the side wall of the recess to project radially into said recess.

6. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 5, wherein each pin is made of a metallic material.

7. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 6, wherein each pin is made of aluminium or steel.

8. A vehicle sun roof according to any preceding claim, wherein the recess of each lever is defined by a cylinder which is secured to or formed integrally with a respective lever at one side thereof and extends substantially transversely to the major length of the lever over substantially the entire thickness thereof.

9. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 8, wherein the cylinder of each lever is surrounded by a further cylinder which is spaced from the outer sides of the first-mentioned cylinder.

10. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 9, wherein a circular spring is inserted between the two cylinders.

11. A vehicle sun roof according to any preceding claim, wherein each boss is of polygonal section with a concave depression in each of its side walls adapted to receive a respective projection.

12. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 11, wherein the corners of the polygonal bosses are slightly rounded.

13. A vehicle sun roof according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein each boss has a cross-section in the form of a regular hexagon.

14. A vehicle sun roof substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings.

15. A vehicle sun roof substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.