Folding head control devices

Claim 1

A device for opening and closing a folding roof covering a roof aperture of an automotive vehicle having an automatically controlled folding roof curtain, comprising a motor and reduction-gearing unit, pinions driven by said unit and in constant meshing engagement with fixed racks extending laterally on either side of thE longitudinal axis of the curtain, guided and free bows alternately disposed along the roof curtain and in a direction generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis thereof and secured to the curtain, a shaped longitudinal section member disposed on either side of the roof aperture, parallel to the axis of movement of said curtain and rigid with the structure of the vehicle, a longitudinal slideway rigidly mounted on each longitudinal section member, a slide rigidly mounted on either side of each guided bow, each slide being adapted to engage a corresponding slideway, and torsion bars interconnecting on each side of said curtain each free bow and an adjacent guided bow, each torsion bar being pivotally attached at one end to a slide of said guided bow and at the opposite end to said free bow so as to keep said guided bow and said free bow everywhere at a substantially equal relative spacing, the pivotal attachment of said torsion bars to said slides including means for biasing said torsion bars against said slides when the curtain covers the roof aperture whereby the tension produced in said torsion bars is sufficient to cause a pivotal movement of the free bows about the guided bow slides to which they are attached, said movement lifting portions of said roof curtain, and said torsion bars having such a shape and are so pivotally attached to said slides so that the free bow to which a pair of said torsion bars is attached is capable of passing over the guided bow rearwardly adjacent said free bow when the roof curtain is opened.

Claim 2

A device for opening and closing a folding roof covering a roof aperture of an automotive vehicle having an automatically controlled folding roof curtain, comprising a motor and reduction-gearing unit, pinions driven by said unit and in constant meshing engagement with fixed racks extending laterally on either side of thE longitudinal axis of the curtain, guided and free bows alternately disposed along the roof curtain and in a direction generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis thereof and secured to the curtain, a shaped longitudinal section member disposed on either side of the roof aperture, parallel to the axis of movement of said curtain and rigid with the structure of the vehicle, a longitudinal slideway rigidly mounted on each longitudinal section member, a slide rigidly mounted on either side of each guided bow, each slide being adapted to engage a corresponding slideway, and torsion bars interconnecting on each side of said curtain each free bow and an adjacent guided bow, each torsion bar being pivotally attached at one end to a slide of said guided bow and at the opposite end to said free bow so as to keep said guided bow and said free bow everywhere at a substantially equal relative spacing, the pivotal attachment of said torsion bars to said slides including means for biasing said torsion bars against said slides when the curtain covers the roof aperture whereby the tension produced in said torsion bars is sufficient to cause a pivotal movement of the free bows about the guided bow slides to which they are attached, said movement lifting portions of said roof curtain, and said torsion bars having such a shape and are so pivotally attached to said slides so that the free bow to which a pair of said torsion bars is attached is capable of passing over the guided bow rearwardly adjacent said free bow when the roof curtain is opened.