Vehicle fitted with a permeable passenger compartment canopy
A convertible vehicle having a movable roof is fitted with a passenger compartment canopy that has an air permeable structure. This vehicle, whose roof, such as a foldaway rigid roof, hard-top or soft-top, is movable in relation to its structure, comprises releasable connections interposed between the structure of the vehicle and the canopy, so that when the movable roof is placed at least partially at a distance from a position above the passenger compartment, the canopy is arranged in a movable or removable manner above this compartment.
1. A convertible vehicle comprising:
a body structure,
a movable roof adapted to be moved relative to the body structure,
a passenger compartment,
a passenger compartment canopy which is permeable to air, and
first releasable connecting means for releasably connecting the body structure and the passenger compartment canopy,
so that when the movable roof is disposed apart from a position above the passenger compartment, said passenger compartment canopy is removably disposable above the passenger compartment.
2. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy covers the passenger compartment essentially as a substitute of said movable roof, when:
the passenger compartment canopy is disposed above the passenger compartment,
said first releasable connecting means are connecting the passenger compartment canopy to the body structure,
and the movable roof is disposed apart from above the passenger compartment.
3. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the movable roof comprises a plurality of rigid roof elements movable one relative to the other, at least one of said plurality of rigid roof elements being articulated on the body structure, and the passenger compartment canopy comprises essentially a flexible canvas.
4. The convertible vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the passenger compartment covers lateral zones of the vehicle as a substitute for lateral windows.
5. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising second releasable connecting means for connecting the passenger compartment canopy with the movable roof at least when said movable roof is covering the passenger compartment in a configuration in which said movable roof is disposed above said passenger compartment.
6. The convertible vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein said second releasable connecting means are adapted for connecting said passenger compartment canopy with the movable roof, for allowing said connection to be released before the movable roof is displaced alone, independently from said passenger compartment canopy, apart from above the passenger compartment.
7. The convertible vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein said second releasable connecting means are connecting the passenger compartment canopy with the movable roof, before they are both disposed together apart from above the passenger compartment.
8. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the movable roof is articulated on the body structure and the vehicle further comprises motorized control means for moving the movable roof between a position above the passenger compartment and a storage position located near a rear part of the vehicle, apart from above the passenger compartment.
9. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy defines an interior lining of the movable roof.
10. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy has a permeable to air structure with a permeability to air ratio between 10% and 70%.
11. The convertible vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the permeable to air structure of the passenger compartment canopy has a permeability to air ratio comprised between 20% and 50%.
12. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy comprises one of a meshed structure and a structure having openings for air.
13. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy has an essentially flexible structure which is strengthened by strengthening means embedded with said structure.
14. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy has an essentially flexible structure which is strengthened by a first series and a second series of strengthening means, the strengthening means of the first series being transversally oriented relative to the strengthening means of the second series.
15. The convertible vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the passenger compartment canopy has an essentially flexible structure which is made of a flexible material and is peripherally fixed with a rigid frame.