EP-4368427-B1 - OPENABLE ROOF WITH THERMALLY INSULATED SLATS

Inventors

• SACCO, Luca

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20231107

Claims (4)

1. Openable roof comprising a frame (1) and a plurality of slats (3) mounted on the frame (1) and movable between a closing position in which the slats (3) are lowered and cover an area delimited by the frame (1), and an opening position in which the slats (3) are raised, each of said slats comprising a main slat body (4) having a lower side (4a) and an upper side (4b) which, in the closing position of the slats (3), are facing downwards and upwards, respectively, wherein said main slat body (4) comprises a lower slat part (5) arranged at said lower side (4a) and formed by a first metal profile, an upper slat part (6) arranged at said upper side (4b) and formed by a second metal profile, and an intermediate connection part (7) by which the lower slat part (5) and the upper slat part (6) are structurally connected to each other, said intermediate connection part (7) being made of a thermally insulating material, so that the upper slat part (6) and lower slat part (5) are thermally insulated from each other, characterized in that the intermediate connection part (7) comprises at least one guide (7a) forming on one side a prismatic pair with a first formation (5a) formed on the first metal profile, and forming on the other side a prismatic pair with a second formation (6b) formed on the second metal profile, said at least one guide (7a) extending along a longitudinal direction of said main slat body (4).
2. Openable roof according to claim 1, wherein the first metal profile is a hollow profile, preferably a multi-chamber profile.
3. Openable roof according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second metal profile is a sheet, along which longitudinal ribs (6a) are formed.
4. Openable roof according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the intermediate connection part (7) is arranged within a recess (5b) formed in the first metal profile.

Description

The present invention relates to an openable roof, comprising a frame and a plurality of slats mounted on the frame and movable between a closing position in which the slats are lowered and cover an area delimited by the frame, and an opening position in which the slats are raised, each of said slats comprising a main slat body having a lower side and an upper side which, in the closing position of the slats, are facing downwards and upwards, respectively. It has been observed that in sunny or high ambient temperature conditions, in openable roofs with slats made of metal material, there is a relatively substantial heat transfer between the upper and lower sides of the slats, which may make conditions in the passenger compartment below the retractable roof uncomfortable. FR 2469516 A1 and DE 4443526 C1 disclose openable roofs according to the preamble of claim 1. An object of the present invention is to provide a solution that may at least partially overcome the drawbacks discussed above in relation to retractable roofs comprising slats made of metal material. According to the present invention, an openable roof having the features of claim 1 is proposed. In this openable roof, said main slat body comprises a lower slat part arranged at said lower side and formed by a first metal profile,an upper slat part arranged at said upper side and formed by a second metal profile, andan intermediate connection part by which the lower slat part and the upper slat part are structurally connected to each other, said intermediate connection part being made of a thermally insulating material, so that the upper slat part and the lower slat part are thermally insulated from each other. Such a solution achieves a thermal break between the upper and lower sides of the slat that interrupts or otherwise significantly hinders the heat transfer downwards. According to one embodiment, the first metal profile is a hollow profile, preferably a multi-chamber profile. This allows for a relatively lightweight slat with adequate mechanical performance. According to one embodiment, the second metal profile is a sheet, along which longitudinal ribs are formed. In this way, the construction of the slat structure is simplified. According to one embodiment, the intermediate connection part is arranged within a recess formed in the first metal profile. This allows the overall thickness of the slat to be contained. According to the invention, the intermediate connection part comprises at least one guide forming on one side a prismatic pair with a first formation formed on the first metal profile, and forming on the other side a prismatic pair with a second formation formed on the second metal profile, said at least one guide extending along a longitudinal direction of said main slat body. In this way, the assembly of the slat parts is particularly easy. Further features and advantages of the openable roof according to the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, made in reference to the accompanying drawings, provided purely for illustrative and nonlimiting purposes, wherein: Fig. 1 and 2 are perspective views of an openable roof in a closing and an opening position, respectively; andFig. 3 and 4 are a partial perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the main body of a slat according to the invention, respectively. Fig. 1 and 2 show an example of an openable roof installed on an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, such as a boat. The openable roof comprises a frame 1, which in the example shown comprises a pair of parallel guides, arranged on opposite sides of the opening and having opposite ends 1a and 1b. The retractable roof further comprises a plurality of slats 3 mounted on the frame 1 and movable between a closing position (Fig. 1), in which the slats 3 are lowered and cover the opening defined by the frame 1, and an opening position (Fig. 2), in which the slats 3 are raised. In the example shown, in the open position, the slats 3 are also packed at one end of the guides 1. For this purpose, the slats 3 are articulatedly connected to two sets of carriages (not shown) sliding along the guides. To this end, a control system is associated with the carriages to cause the carriages to move. However, this is only an example, and the invention is not bound to the specific ways in which the slats 3 are moved. For example, according to an alternative embodiment that is not shown, the slats could simply be rotatable around respective fixed axes between the closing and opening positions, without making any sliding movement along guides. Referring to Fig. 3 and 4, each of the slats 3 comprises a main slat body 4 having a lower side 4a and an upper side 4b, which, in the closing position of the slats 3, face downwards and upwards, respectively. At the ends of the main slat body 4, end elements are mounted (visible in Fig. 2), by means of which the slat 3 is connected to the carr