For a vehicular sliding roof device, a Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication published as No. 2002-154328 has been disclosed. This sliding roof device includes a gear system as a driving device to transmit actuation to a sliding mechanism, which opens and closes a slide panel. A spur tooth rack belt and a spur wheel are used as a gear system. The spur tooth rack belt is connected to the sliding mechanism and the spur wheel.
However, if the dimensional accuracy of the spur tooth rack belt and the spur wheel is insufficient, such a sliding roof device tends to make a noise at an engaging region between the spur tooth rack belt and the spur wheel when the slide panel is operated to open and close. Especially, the spur tooth rack belt is made of a resin to be provided in the roof device with bending condition. Deformation of the spur tooth rack belt caused by loading aggravates the engagement accuracy, since the resin belt is resilient. It makes the operational noise louder.
A need thus exists for a sliding rood device that is able to effectively reduce a noise made at engaging operation.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds