| US 7,472,950 B2 | ||
| Roof for a motor vehicle | ||
| Wolfram Salz, Sachsenheim (Germany); Thomas Halbweiss, Remseck (Germany); and Matthias Rösler, Stuttgart (Germany) | ||
| Assigned to Magna Car Top Systems GmbH, Bietigheim-Bissingen (Germany) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 05, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/620,258. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 10 2006 000 847 (DE), filed on Jan. 05, 2006. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0152476 A1, Jul. 05, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. B60J 10/12 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 296—216.06 | 6 Claims |

| 1. A roof panel assembly for a vehicle, the roof panel assembly comprising:
a roof panel having front and rear transversely extending sides, first and second longitudinally extending sides, and first
and second guide elements respectively located on the first and second sides of the roof panel, the guide elements respectively
engageable to first and second longitudinally extending guide rails attached to respective first and second longitudinally
extending sides of a roof of a vehicle to enable the roof panel, with the front panel side leading, to slide along a longitudinal
vehicle direction toward a roof opening between the first and second sides of the roof to close the roof opening and to enable
the roof panel, with the rear panel side leading, to slide along an opposite longitudinal vehicle direction away from the
roof opening to open the roof opening;
first and second sealing bodies;
first and second pairs of first and second sealing sections;
wherein the first sealing section of the first pair of sealing sections is fixedly connectable to the first side of the roof
and the second sealing section of the first pair of sealing sections is connected to the first side of the roof panel, wherein
the sealing sections of the first pair of sealing sections enclose a first wedge line extending from a first point in front
of the front panel side at a first acute angle with respect to a first longitudinal vehicle plane which is on the first panel
side and extends parallel to the longitudinal vehicle directions through the first point, wherein the second sealing section
of the first pair of sealing sections extends at the first acute angle along the first panel side from the front panel side
to the rear panel side;
wherein the first sealing section of the second pair of sealing sections is fixedly connectable to the second side of the
roof and the second sealing section of the second pair of sealing sections is connected to the second side of the roof panel,
wherein the sealing sections of the second pair of sealing sections enclose a second wedge line extending from a second point
in front of the front panel side at a second acute angle with respect to a second longitudinal vehicle plane which is on the
second panel side and extends parallel to the longitudinal vehicle directions through the second point, wherein the second
sealing section of the second pair of sealing sections extends at the second acute angle along the second panel side from
the front panel side to the rear panel side;
wherein the first sealing body is mounted on one of the sealing sections of the first pair of sealing sections and the second
sealing body is mounted on one of the sealing sections of the second pair of sealing sections;
wherein the sealing bodies assume a working position when the roof panel closes the roof opening in response to a wedge effect
generated by the wedge lines as the roof panel slides along the guide rails toward the roof opening, wherein the sealing bodies
assume a resting position when the roof panel opens the roof opening;
wherein the second sealing section of the first pair of sealing sections is a component of a first inner support structure
of the roof panel, and the second sealing section of the second pair of sealing sections is a component of a second inner
support structure of the roof panel;
wherein the first inner support structure has an angular element whose free end together with a sliding profile projects into
a U-shaped guide receptacle in the first guide rail;
wherein the second inner support structure has an angular element whose free end together with a sliding profile projects
into a U-shaped guide receptacle in the second guide rail.
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