1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure of a sun roof of an automotive vehicle and a method of the assembly thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is an increasing demand of an automobile with an opening formed in a roof panel and for the roof opening structured so as to be opened and closed with a movable roof member.
The opening to be formed in the roof panel of the automobile may be structured in such a manner that, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (kokai) No. 2-306,821, a pair of left-hand and right-hand front roof opening sections are provided in the front portion of the roof panel. Each of the left-hand and right-hand roof opening sections is open to its entire length at its transversely outer portions, that is, at its left-hand and right-hand outer side ends, respectively. It is closed at its front and rear edge portions and a transversely inner edge portion extending longitudinally (from front to back) so as to connect its front edge portion to its rear edge portion. The left-hand and right-hand front roof opening sections are configured each in a fashion such that a front edge portion of the roof opening section is composed of a front header, a rear edge portion thereof is composed of the front edge portion of a rear roof panel section, and a transversely inner edge .portion extending longitudinally is composed of a connecting middle section that connects the front header with the rear roof panel section. This type of the roof opening may be called a T-bar roof, and it can provide the .passenger with an open feeling that resembles the feeling given by an open car because the left-hand and right-hand outer side ends of the roof panel can be opened.
The left-hand and right-hand front roof opening sections are opened or closed with detachable left-hand and right-hand roof sections, respectively, in many occasions. They are also designed to be opened or closed simultaneously with one sheet of a movable roof member that has a size substantially large enough to cover a pair of the left-hand and right-hand front roof opening sections and that is structured so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, i.e. in forward and rearward directions.
In the latter case, that is, when .the left-hand and right-hand front roof opening sections are to be opened or closed simultaneously with one sheet of the movable roof member, the movable roof member should be guided in the forward or rearward direction. At this end, a base frame may be fixed to a body of the vehicle and a guide mechanism may be disposed in a position between the base frame and the movable roof member.
Although the base frame may assume a variety of forms, it is desired from the point of view of ensuring a strength of mounting and the like that the base frame comprises a front base frame section extending over the substantially entire length along and parallel to the front header, a rear base frame section extending over the substantially entire length along and parallel to the rear edge portion of the rear roof panel section, and a middle base frame section extending longitudinally and connecting a middle portion of the front base frame section with a middle portion of the rear base frame section. The arrangement for this structure is preferred in terms of ensuring a wide area for mounting the base frame to the body of the vehicle and ensuring a large number of positions for fixing the base frame to the body thereof because the base frame can be fixed tightly to the body. For this structure, the guide mechanism for the movable roof member may be configured by taking advantage of the middle portion of the base frame.
On the other hand, when the guide mechanism for the movable roof member is to be disposed on the rear side of the body of the vehicle, the base frame may be structured in such a shape as having a pair of left-hand and right-hand guide sections, each extending from a transversely outer end portion of the rear base frame section toward the rear.
From the description as have been described hereinabove, the base frame may be configured in such a manner that it comprises the front base frame section, the rear base frame section, and the middle base frame section, or the front base frame section, the rear base frame section, the middle base frame section, and the left-hand and right-hand guide sections.
The automotive vehicle having a pair of left-hand and right-hand roof opening sections is provided with no roof side rail at their transversely outer edge portions. This leads to the fact that the transversely outer end portions of the front header, that is, an upper end portion of a front pillar, may deviate from its normal position.
On the other hand, since the front base frame section of the base frame is of such a cantilever type as being free at the transversely outer end portions, the transversely outer end portions of the front base frame section are likely to deviate from their normal positions.
Likewise, the left-hand and right-hand guide sections of the base frame are likely to deviate from their normal positions.
As have been described hereinabove, the deviation in the positions is likely to occur on the side of the body of the vehicle as well as on the side of the base frame, so that the mere fixing of the base frame to the body may deviate from their normal positions, thereby failing to guide the movable roof member smoothly. Further, if the movable roof member would be closed in a deviated state, a problem with sealing may arise.