IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,618,388
Granted Patent B1
US 10,618,388 · App. 16/157,823 · Granted Apr 14, 2020

Sunroof high speed catch device

Inventors: Shintaro Katsura (Novi, MI); Michael Mixon (Brighton, MI)
Assignee: AISIN TECHNICAL CENTER OF AMERICA, INC.
B60J7/043B60J7/05B60J7/057
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,618,388
App. No.
16/157,823
Granted
Apr 14, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a sunroof apparatus of an automotive vehicle. Specifically, the present disclosure describes a constraining portion of a guiding drive shoe and a constrained portion of a drive link to maintain a drive link angle during high-speed operation of the sunroof apparatus. Moreover, the present disclosure describes a guiding portion of a rear drive shoe and a guided portion of a bracket to guide a glass panel of the sunroof apparatus into a fully-closed position during high-speed operation.

Claims (31)

1. A rear drive shoe assembly for a sunroof apparatus of an automotive vehicle, comprising:

a rear bracket, at an aft end of a bracket, including a guided portion; and

a rear drive shoe including a guiding portion to guide the guided portion of the rear bracket and a rear bracket slot, the rear bracket slot receiving the guided portion of the rear bracket,

wherein the bracket holds a glass panel of the sunroof apparatus and is operably-coupled to a drive link, the drive link including a pin projecting from a surface of the drive link,

wherein the pin projecting from the surface of the drive link is slidably-coupled to a guiding drive shoe as a rotation center, and

wherein the rear drive shoe is coupled to a motor, the motor translating the rear drive shoe in a forward direction.

2. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the rear bracket includes a rear drive shoe slot, the rear drive shoe slot receiving the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe.

3. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the drive link is operably-coupled to the bracket via a coupling at one or more through holes in the rear bracket.

4. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe includes a guiding surface including one or more curvatures.

5. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the guided portion of the rear bracket includes a surface including one or more curvatures.

6. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 5 , wherein one of the one or more curvatures of the surface of the guided portion of the rear bracket is a curvature of an abutting surface.

7. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 5 , wherein one of the one or more curvatures of the surface of the guided portion of the rear bracket is a curvature of a guided surface, the guided surface of the guided portion of the rear bracket being congruent with a curvature of a guiding surface of the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe.

8. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a first dimension of the guided portion of the rear bracket is equivalent to a first dimension of the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe.

9. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, during translation of the rear drive shoe in the forward direction, contact between a surface of the guided portion and a guiding surface of the guiding portion moves the drive link.

10. The rear drive shoe assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, following translation of the rear drive shoe in the forward direction, a drive link angle formed between a longitudinal axis of the drive link and a longitudinal axis of the guiding drive shoe is zero.

11. A method of a sunroof apparatus, comprising:

receiving, via processing circuitry, a user command indicating a closing operation of the sunroof apparatus; and

translating, via the processing circuitry, a rear drive shoe including a guiding portion, the guiding portion guiding a guided portion of a rear bracket at an aft end of a bracket holding a glass panel of the sunroof apparatus,

wherein the bracket is operably-coupled to a drive link including a pin projecting from a surface of the drive link,

wherein the pin projecting from the surface of the drive link is slidably-coupled to a guiding drive shoe and is a rotation center,

wherein the rear drive shoe is coupled to a motor, the motor translating the rear drive shoe in a forward direction, and

wherein, during forward translation, the guided portion of the rear bracket enters a rear bracket slot within the rear drive shoe.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the rear bracket includes a rear drive shoe slot, the rear drive shoe slot receiving the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the drive link is operably-coupled to the bracket via coupling at one or more through holes in the rear bracket.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe includes a guiding surface including one or more curvatures.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the guided portion of the rear bracket includes a surface including one or more curvatures.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein one of the one or more curvatures of the surface of the guided portion of the rear bracket is a curvature of an abutting surface.

17. The method according to claim 15 , wherein one of the one or more curvatures of the surface of the guided portion of the rear bracket is a curvature of a guided surface, the guided surface of the guided portion of the rear bracket being congruent with a curvature of a guiding surface of the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe.

18. The method according to claim 11 , wherein a first dimension of the guided portion of the rear bracket is equivalent to a first dimension of the guiding portion of the rear drive shoe.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, during translation of the rear drive shoe in the forward direction, contact between a surface of the guided portion and a guiding surface of the guiding portion moves the drive link.

20. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, following translation of the rear drive shoe in the forward direction, a drive link angle formed between a longitudinal axis of the drive link and a longitudinal axis of the guiding drive shoe is zero.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 4, 2025
From: AISIN TECHNICAL CENTER OF AMERICA, INC.
To: AISIN WORLD CORP. OF AMERICA
Reel/Frame 070736/0220 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 11, 2018
From: KATSURA, SHINTARO; MIXON, MICHAEL
To: AISIN TECHNICAL CENTER OF AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 047137/0214 →