JP2001063370A - Frame structure of sunroof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent water from infiltrating into portions other than drain grooves without increasing the height of a space for housing a frame. SOLUTION: A pair of left and right side-part frame members 4 each have a push- pull cable put-through groove 9, a slide-panel guide groove 10, and a side-part drain groove 11, integrally molded therewith, Front ends of the left and right side-part frame members 4 are connected to each other by a front-part frame member, and on whose front-part corner parts, drain groove parts matching with the drain grooves, drain pipe connection parts for causing the drain groove parts to communicate with drain pipes, and a water blocking wall erected along the inside perimetric edge of an opening in a fixed roof, are formed. Screening members for covering upper surfaces of the put-through grooves and of the guide grooves are mounted so as to be continuously connected to the respective members, and thus rainwater can be prevented from flowing into the put-through grooves and guide grooves, Therefore, the put-through grooves, guide grooves, and side-part drain grooves 11 can be integrally formed on the same level, the structure of a sunroof frame can be simplified, the height of a space for housing the frame can be reduced. By integrally molding the drain pipe connection parts therewith, the number of component items can be reduced and the structure is more simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sunroof frame structure in which an openable and closable slide panel is provided at an opening of a fixed roof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a sunroof device, a guide groove for sliding a slider provided on a slide panel is provided.
Insertion groove for inserting drive push-pull cable,
And a side drain for draining rainwater out of the car is formed in a common member by extrusion molding of aluminum alloy material,
In recent years, the adoption of a so-called frameless structure in which this is directly attached to a fixed roof tends to be actively promoted.

In this structure, the extruded material is extended on both sides of the opening provided in the fixed roof so as to serve also as a side frame member, and the front ends of the left and right side frame members are connected to each other by a front drain groove. The drainage grooves of the side frame member and the front frame member are connected so as to form a substantially U-shape in plan view by connecting the front frame members with each other.

[0004]

However, the extruded material is
The shape of the cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal axis is uniform over the entire length, and the above-described guide groove, insertion groove, and drain groove are all opened at the cut end surface. Here, the side drainage grooves must be rather opened toward the connecting portion with the front frame member to allow the left and right to communicate with each other, but if the guide grooves and the insertion grooves are open, flooding from there will occur. Does not necessarily cause malfunction.

In order to prevent the guide groove and the insertion groove from being flooded, it is sufficient to provide them at a position higher than the side drain grooves. It is not advisable to provide such a height difference which causes an increase in the height dimension.

In the above structure, it is necessary to connect the drain groove to the drain tube in order to discharge the water in the drain groove to the outside. However, a drain nozzle for that purpose must be separately attached to the corner portion, and this operation is required. It was complicated.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-14035 discloses that
A corner member having a drain groove aligned with a drain groove of each frame member and a drain nozzle connected to a drain tube (water pipe) is provided at a corner where the side frame member and the front frame member intersect. There is disclosed a structure in which drainage from a drainage groove of a member is received by the drainage groove of the corner member, and is discharged to the outside from a drainage nozzle via a drain tube.

However, even in this structure, the corner member is provided at the lower portion of both frame members, and the drain grooves thereof are also formed at the front ends of the guide groove of the slider of the side frame member and the insertion groove of the push-pull cable. From facing,
For example, when a relatively large amount of water flows into the drainage ditch, for example, when the vehicle is tilted, flooding from the drainage ditch cannot always be prevented.

[0009] On the other hand, in the sunroof device, when the roof is released, the above-mentioned frame members are exposed to the outside. In addition to water, foreign matters such as dust enter the drainage groove and may be clogged in the drain tube or the like. Therefore, it is one of the important issues to facilitate the maintenance work for removing the dust and the like.

[0010] The present invention has been devised to address such problems, and its main purpose is to make it extruded and increase the height of the housing space of the frame. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sunroof frame structure which is improved so as to prevent water from infiltrating into a part other than the drainage groove, and which can easily be assembled and maintained.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an openable and closable slide panel is provided at an opening of a fixed roof, and a push-pull cable insertion groove, a slide panel guide groove, and a side portion are provided. Between the front ends of the pair of left and right side frame members where the drainage groove is integrally molded,
In a sunroof frame structure connected by a front frame member having a front drainage groove, a push-pull cable insertion groove and a slide panel guide groove are provided at corners where a side frame member and a front frame member intersect. Corner drain groove that covers the top surface of the roof and aligns with each drain groove, a connection part that communicates the corner drain groove with the drain pipe, and a water barrier wall that stands up along the inner peripheral edge of the opening of the fixed roof. The shield member formed with the first frame member and the second frame member is attached to the side frame member and the front frame member, respectively. With this configuration, water is prevented from entering through the push-pull cable insertion groove and the slide panel guide groove by the shielding member, and the handling of the parts including the drain pipe connection part is facilitated.

Further, the shielding member is made of resin, and a resilient engaging portion formed on the resilient member is resiliently engaged with an engaging hole formed in the side frame member and the front frame portion. This facilitates attachment and detachment of the shielding member, and improves ease of assembly and maintenance.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to a specific embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a fixed roof of an automobile provided with an outer sliding sunroof device to which the present invention is applied. The fixed roof 1 is formed with a substantially rectangular opening 2 having a longer side in the vehicle body width direction. The opening 2 is formed of a slide panel 3 made of a sheet glass or the like movable above the fixed roof 1 (see FIG. 1). (Indicated by imaginary lines).

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of left and right side frame members 4 extending in the front-rear direction along both left and right side edges of the opening 2, and a portion in front of the opening 2. The front frame member 5 extending in the left-right direction along the edge,
They are attached to each other so as to form a substantially U-shape in plan view. And left and right side frame members 4
And a motor 7 with a speed reducer that pushes and pulls the push-pull cable 6 to open and close the slide panel 3.

The side frame member 4 and the front frame member 5 are fixed at appropriate locations to a stiffener (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the fixed roof 1 by screws or the like. The motor 7 with a speed reducer is also fixed to the fixed roof 1 via a mounting bracket 8 fixed to the inner surface of the fixed roof 1 with screws.

The side frame member 4 is formed by extruding an aluminum alloy material. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the side frame member 4 has a C-shaped cross section opened toward the outside of the vehicle body so that the push-pull cable 6 can be inserted therethrough. The push-pull cable insertion groove 9 and a slider (not shown) attached to the lower surface of the slide panel 3 are formed to have a U-shaped cross section in which the center side of the vehicle body (the side facing the push-pull cable insertion groove) is opened so as to slide. , A side drain groove 11 having a U-shaped cross section with an open upper side, and a side drain groove 11
And a joining flange 12 protruding in the horizontal direction from the side wall on the outside of the vehicle body to the fixed roof 1 are integrally formed with a fixed cross section in parallel from the center side of the vehicle body.

The side drain grooves 11 receive rainwater dropped from the left and right side edges of the opening 2 and guide the water to the front and rear of the vehicle body.
Here, the rainwater guided backward is discharged to the outside of the vehicle via a drainage member 13 attached to the rear end of the side frame member 4 and a drain tube 14 disposed in a rear pillar of the vehicle body. Also, the rainwater guided forward along with the rainwater dripped from the front edge of the opening 2 into the front drainage groove 15 formed in the front frame member 5 made of a steel sheet press-formed product, and the side end of the front frame member 5 It is discharged to the outside of the vehicle through a portion, that is, a shielding member 16 provided at a corner portion where the front frame member 5 and the side frame member 4 intersect, and a drain tube 17 provided in a front pillar of the vehicle body.

A rear drain groove member 18 formed in a U-shaped cross section with an upper side opened by press forming of a steel plate extends below the rear edge of the opening 2 in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 2). ).
The rear drain groove member 18 has its both end positions aligned on the widthwise center line of the side drain groove 11, and receives rainwater dropped from the rear edge of the opening 2 to the left and right side drain grooves 11. Is to lead.

The shielding members 16 are attached to the front end of the side frame member 4 and both ends of the front frame member 5 as described above. The shielding member 16 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the front drainage groove 11 at the front end of the side frame member 4 and the front side of the front frame member 5. Corner drain groove 21 that matches the bottom drain groove 15, front wall 22 that covers the open end faces of push-pull cable insertion groove 9 and slide panel guide groove 10 of side frame member 4, and the inner peripheral contour of the corner of opening 2. At a position on the inside, a water impermeable wall 23 raised along the inner peripheral edge of the opening 2 and an upper wall 24 for closing between the water impermeable wall 23 and the front wall 22 are provided. It is shaped to wrap around the front end. With this shielding member 16, a front portion from a portion located slightly inside the corner of the opening on the upper surface of the front end of the side frame member 4, and a front end opening surface between the push-pull cable insertion groove 9 and the slide panel guide groove 10. Is closed. Shielding member 1
A nozzle-like connecting portion 25 for connecting the drain tube 17 is formed integrally with the shielding member 16 at the corner of the nozzle 6.

As shown in FIG. 7, a guide groove 26 for the push-pull cable 6 is formed near the corner on the bottom side of the shielding member 16, and the push-pull cable 6 is guided by the guide groove 26. It is arranged so as to pass through the bottom side of the shielding member 16, that is, between the shielding member 16 and the front frame member 5. Thereby, the push-pull cable 6
Since the push-pull cable 6 directly reaches the front motor 7 from the end face of the push-pull cable insertion groove 9 of the side frame member 4 via the bottom surface side of the shielding member 16, the push-pull cable 6 is not exposed to the outside and gets wet with rainwater. Nothing. Also,
The guide groove 26 facilitates relative positioning between the shielding member 16 and the push-pull cable 6 extending forward from the push-pull cable insertion groove 9 of the side frame member 4, and facilitates positioning of the shielding member 16. Even when the space between the front frame member 5 and the front frame member 5 is narrowed, the passage of the push-pull cable 6 can be secured, and the height can be further reduced.

A matching portion between the side drain groove 11 and the front drain groove 15 and the corner drain groove 21 is provided with a seal made of grease or the like, so that rainwater can reliably flow from the side drain groove 11 and the front drain groove 15. At the corner drain groove 21.

As shown in FIG. 8, the shielding member 16 has a resilient engaging portion 27 integrally formed at an appropriate position of the shielding member 16 with an engaging hole formed in the side frame member 4 and the front frame member 5. 28, it is attached to each of the frame members 4, 5.

By providing the shielding member 16, only the side drain groove 11 of the side frame member 4 and the front drain groove 15 of the front frame member 5 are open toward the corner drain groove 21. The rainwater flowing through the drainage groove 11 and the frontal drainage groove 15 flows into the corner drainage groove 21, and the rainwater falling from the corner of the opening 2 is removed by the shielding member 21.
Is restricted by the water-impervious wall 23 and the upper wall 24 and also flows down to the front drainage groove 15, and both of them pass from the corner drainage groove 21 through the drain tube 17 connected thereto via the nozzle-like connection portion 25, and the outside of the vehicle Is discharged to

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing a modification of the above configuration. In this embodiment, the side drain groove 11 'at the front end of the side frame member 4 and the front drain groove (not shown) of the front frame member 5 have a semicircular cross-section on the bottom surface, and the shielding corresponding to the semicircular section Similarly, the bottom of the corner drain groove 21 'of the member 16 has a semicircular cross section. This makes it easier to absorb dimensional errors as compared to the case where the bottom surface is flat, and because rainwater collects at the center of the bottom surface, it is quickly guided to the corner drainage groove portion 21 ′ without being blocked by each groove. Becomes

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the front end of the pair of left and right side frame members integrally formed with the push-pull cable insertion groove, the slide panel guide groove and the side drain groove is formed by the front part. Connected by a frame member, and at a corner where these two members intersect, a drain groove portion matching each drain groove, a drain pipe connecting portion for communicating the drain groove portion and the drain pipe, and an opening of the fixed roof are formed. A side wall is formed by forming a water blocking wall erected along the peripheral edge and attaching a shielding member covering the upper surface of the push-pull cable insertion groove and the slide panel guide groove to each frame member so as to be continuous. In addition to preventing the rainwater accumulated in the drain groove of the front frame member from flowing into the slide panel guide groove and the push-pull cable insertion groove of the member, the corner on the front edge side of the opening can be prevented. To prevent the water droplets falling from the upper surface of the side frame member from invading and to appropriately drain rainwater to the outside, so that the push-pull cable insertion groove, the slide panel guide groove, and the side drain groove are at the same level. The structure of the sunroof frame can be simplified, the height of the housing space of the frame can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced by integrally forming the drain pipe connection part. Simplify further. In addition, the shielding member is made of a resin material integrally formed with a resilient engaging portion, and the resilient engaging portion is resiliently engaged with an engaging hole formed in each frame member to attach the shielding member. By doing so, the attachment and detachment of the shielding member is simplified, and the ease of assembly and maintenance is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fixed roof of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a sunroof device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing a relationship between a shielding member and a side frame member according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an essential part cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an essential part cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4 showing the mounting structure of the shielding member according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, showing a modified example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed roof 2 Opening 3 Slide panel 4 Side frame member 5 Front frame member 6 Push-pull cable 7 Motor with reduction gear 8 Mounting bracket 9 Push-pull cable insertion groove 10 Slide panel guide groove 11, 11 'Side drain groove 12 Roof connection flange 13 Drain member 14 Drain tube (rear) 15 Front drain groove 16 Shielding member 17 Drain tube (front) 18 Rear drain groove member 21, 21 ′ Corner drain groove 22 Front wall 23 Water barrier wall 24 Upper wall 25 Nozzle-like connecting part 26 Guide groove 27 Resilient engaging part 28 Engaging hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sunroof frame structure in which an openable and closable slide panel is provided at an opening of a fixed roof, wherein a push-pull cable insertion groove, a slide panel guide groove,
The front ends of a pair of left and right side frame members integrally formed with a side drain groove are connected by a front frame member having a front drain groove, and the side frame member and the front portion are connected to each other. At the corners intersecting with the frame member, the push-pull cable insertion groove, and a drain groove that covers the upper surface of the slide panel guide groove and is aligned with each of the drain grooves, and for communicating the drain groove and the drain pipe. A shielding member formed with a drain nozzle portion and a water blocking wall erected along the inner peripheral edge of the opening of the fixed roof is attached so as to be continuous with the side frame member and the front frame member, respectively. The sunroof frame structure is characterized in that: 2. The method according to claim 2, wherein the shielding member is made of a resin material, and a resilient engaging portion formed on the member is resiliently engaged with an engaging hole formed on the side frame member and the front frame portion. The sunroof frame structure according to claim 1, wherein the frame structure is attached by being combined.